Argentine artist Tomás Saraceno has opened Ancestral Futures at Haus der Kunst, transforming the Munich museum into an immersive environment that brings together contemporary art, architecture, science and Indigenous knowledge. The exhibition runs until 7 February 2027 and presents new and existing works that examine ecological relationships and collective ways of living.
The exhibition highlights Saraceno’s interdisciplinary practice, which has explored environmental systems for more than two decades. Rather than focusing on individual objects, the artist investigates the connections between humans, plants, animals and the atmosphere, proposing alternative models that prioritise collaboration over resource extraction.
Aerocene and Arachnophilia anchor the exhibition
At the centre of Ancestral Futures are two of Saraceno’s long-running research initiatives, Aerocene and Arachnophilia. Founded in 2015, Aerocene explores fossil fuel-free living and emission-free transportation through community-led research. As a result, the project has generated sculptures powered by air, solar radiation and infrared technology.
Meanwhile, Arachnophilia examines the complex behaviour of spiders and the intricate structures of their webs. This ongoing research informs Saraceno’s immersive net-like installations, including Towards the Sanctuary of Water, which features in the exhibition.
The exhibition also premieres El Santuario del Agua (The Sanctuary of Water), a major new co-commission created in collaboration with the 11 Indigenous communities of Red Atacama in Las Salinas Grandes, northern Argentina. The installation investigates the environmental and social impacts of lithium extraction while highlighting Indigenous perspectives on land and water.
Exhibition explores interconnected futures
According to Haus der Kunst, the exhibition encourages visitors to reconsider how ecological and cultural systems are connected through shared experience and collective responsibility.
“Ancestral Futures offers another way of attending to these connections. The exhibition asks what can be sensed when we stop looking at isolated objects and begin paying attention to the connections between them,” curator and museum director Andrea Lissoni penned in a recent essay for the show. “Here, futures happen because they are made together.”
Ancestral Futures is on view at Haus der Kunst in Munich until 7 February 2027, presenting Saraceno’s latest exploration of environmental art, architecture and interdisciplinary research.