Each year, we choose a theme that runs like a common thread through the art programming. It brings the different components together and adds context or a new perspective to the collection of artistic expressions. We share this common thread beforehand as a source of inspiration for the artists who are creating new work for us. For 2026, we are focusing on WAN/ORDE (DIS/ORDER). Ten selected creators will venture into the murky borderland between structure and destruction, rhythm and anarchy.
2026: DIS/ORDER
Chaos and order - two concepts that constantly surround us. We build systems, laws, and structures to get a grip on life, but just as often, they spiral out of control. What seems disruptive at first glance often turns out to be a breeding ground for change and innovation.
Chaos is not merely destructive. On the contrary, the Greeks saw it as a primal state: a yawning void from which cosmos, the ordered world, was born. Chaos was not a problem to be solved, but the space from which order could unfold.
Our way of thinking cannot be separated from that urge for structure. The human brain looks for patterns in everything: we find the golden ratio in shells, describe how different species of cicadas base their breeding cycle on prime numbers, and build simulations to analyze the movement of flocks of birds. Whether it concerns models and formulas in science, principles and laws in philosophy, or rules of life in religion, we constantly try to bring order to the elusive reality around us.
But artistically, it often works differently. We seek out creativity by thinking 'out of the box' or by 'brainstorming' - letting go of fixed thought patterns and rules, to let the mind wander freely. German philosopher Theodore Adorno therefore argued that it is the task of art to bring chaos into order.
Chaos is not merely destructive. The Greeks actually saw it as a primal state: a gaping void from which cosmos, the ordered world, was born. Chaos was not a problem to be solved, but the space from which order could unfold.
Our thinking cannot be detached from that urge for structure. The human brain searches for patterns in everything: we find the golden ratio in shells, describe how different species of cicadas base their breeding cycle on prime numbers, and build simulations to analyze the movement of flocks of birds. Whether it concerns models and formulas in science, principles and laws in philosophy, or rules of life in religion, we constantly try to bring order to the elusive reality around us.
But artistically, it often works differently. We seek creativity by thinking 'out of the box' or 'brainstorming' - letting go of fixed thought patterns and rules, to let the mind blow free. German philosopher Theodore Adorno therefore argued that the task of art is to bring chaos into order.
Chaos is not merely destructive. The Greeks actually saw it as a primal state: a yawning void from which cosmos, the ordered world, was born. Chaos was not a problem to be solved, but the space from which order could unfold.
Our thinking cannot be separated from that urge for structure. The human brain searches for patterns in everything: we find the golden ratio in shells, describe how different species of cicadas base their breeding cycle on prime numbers, and build simulations to analyze the movement of flocks of birds. Whether it concerns models and formulas in science, principles and laws in philosophy, or rules of life in religion, we constantly try to bring order to the elusive reality around us.
But artistically, it often works differently. We seek creativity by thinking 'out of the box' or 'brainstorming' - letting go of fixed thinking patterns and rules, to let the mind wander freely. German philosopher Theodor Adorno therefore argued that the task of art is to bring chaos into order.
