The IVAM presents its program for 2026 with 13 exhibitions and a new interpretation of its permanent collection

The Institut Valencià d'Art Modern (IVAM) has announced its exhibition program for 2026, which will include a total of 13 projects focused on exploring the territory of the Valencian Community from the perspective of contemporary art. The program addresses key issues of our time, such as ecology, intangible heritage, and the tensions between high and low culture, as well as between different disciplines of knowledge.

This new program delves deeper into the strategic lines of the IVAM's museological project, which revolve around heritage, sustainability, and the local area, and reinforces its commitment to collaboration and exchange through new networks with national and international institutions. Furthermore, the museum highlights female artists, with solo exhibitions dedicated to renowned figures such as Joana Vasconcelos, Tania Candiani, Melanie Smith, and Cristina de Middel—artists who offer diverse perspectives on contemporary art through experimentation and dialogue with both local and global contexts.

• Cristina de Middel, “Pop Totem” Series, 2012.

The year will open on February 18 with A media lumbre (By Half Fire), an exhibition that invites reflection on forms of coexistence and the symbolic relationships between art, territory, and community. From February 26 to July 16, the project Territorios en tránsito (Territories in Transit) will bring together the duos Anna Talens & Mar Guerrero and Irene Grau & Marco Giordano, with the aim of exploring the notions of landscape, displacement, and shared memory.

On March 3, the exhibition "The Aura of a Modern Saga: Ignacio, José, and Marisa Pinazo" will open, a tribute to three generations of a family that has been key to the history of Valencian art, offering a contemporary perspective on their legacy. On March 27, the exhibition "Women in the Work of Julio González" will highlight the female figure in the Valencian sculptor's production, emphasizing her role as a symbol of modernity and creative force.

Mexican artist Tania Candiani will present a solo exhibition starting April 29, where her works on technology, language, and memory will engage in dialogue with history and artisanal knowledge. On May 7, Cristina de Middel will present Apoteosis Now, a project that plays with the boundaries between documentary and fiction to reflect on narratives of power and representation in contemporary imagery.

One week later, on May 14, the IVAM will present a new reading of The Collection, reaffirming its commitment to research and the constant review of its art collection.

• Regina de Miguel, Portal, 2024.

On July 8, La Albufera will occupy the museum space as a project that links art, ecology and territory, focusing on one of the most emblematic landscapes of the Valencian Community.

The program continues on September 24 with Melanie Smith's exhibition, *Only One Thing Was Strange: Continuing to Think as Before*, a reflection on shifting perceptions in a changing world. Beginning October 29, Regina de Miguel will present a show that intertwines science, myth, and ecological critique, while on November 12, the highly anticipated exhibition by Joana Vasconcelos will open, featuring monumental and vibrant works that challenge the boundaries between folk art and high culture.

The calendar will close on December 3 with Rosana Antolí's proposal, which will address movement, collective energy and the interaction between body and space as drivers of contemporary creation.

• Rosana Antolí, Golden Aye, 2020.

With this program, the IVAM reaffirms its commitment to being a museum open to dialogue between territories, generations and languages, and a living space where contemporary art becomes a tool for knowledge, critique and transformation.

For the director of the IVAM, Blanca de la Torre , “this significant female presence, both in number and in the diversity of languages and backgrounds, enriches the curatorial discourse.” Furthermore, it allows for the visibility of “multiple sensibilities, community practices, and ways of working that are often marginalized in the hegemonic narrative of contemporary art,” de la Torre stated regarding the program, which she described as “inclusive” not only in the sense of integrating multiple voices, but also for “creating more welcoming spaces for our visitors, which implies addressing issues of physical and cognitive accessibility.”

New route through the permanent collection

Another key element in the IVAM's renovation will be the new permanent exhibition of its collection, which will be housed in galleries 4 and 5 of the museum. This project represents one of the most significant changes in this new institutional phase and proposes a contemporary reinterpretation of the historiographical narrative, combining a chronological perspective with thematic and cross-cutting approaches.

As De la Torre explained, the proposal will be structured around four itineraries that invite visitors to explore the collection from different perspectives: color and light, ecologies, feminisms, and conflicts. This "multi-track" format will offer visitors multiple ways to engage with modern and contemporary art, fostering a more open, participatory, and up-to-date experience.

The exhibition will bring together an emblematic selection of works by key artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, including Alexander Calder, Equipo Crónica, Juana Francés, Paul Klee, Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray, Sonia Delaunay, Aleksandr Rodchenko, Ángela García, Eduardo Arroyo, Richard Hamilton, James Rosenquist, Robert Rauschenberg, Martha Rosler, Mona Hatoum, Claes Oldenburg, Equipo Realidad, and Isabel Oliver, among others.