Opening Event & Keynotes Creative Days Vienna 2026
Featuring Shumon Basar and Günseli Yalcinkaya.
Creative minds gather at Creative Days Vienna for two days of lectures, tours, performances, installations and networking to discuss the latest interplay of technology, culture and society.
The Creative Days Vienna 2026 opening event unfolds through an evening of installation, talks and performances. It features an interactive installation curated by Node Media Lab, a keynote from Shumon Basar, a writer, thinker and curator known for his work across global art institutions and for publications such as The Extreme Self. Günseli Yalcinkaya offers insights into her research on technology, myth and digital folklore. A performance curated by NeverAtHome leads into a night with DJs, giving participants the chance to meet, exchange ideas and celebrate the opening of Creative Days Vienna 2026. The evening will be moderated by Severin Matusek.
Get your ticket to the opening here.
See the full program of the Creative Days Vienna 2026 here.
PROGRAM
6.30 pm
Doors open
INTERACTIVE INSTALLATION by NODE Media Lab
Node Media Lab, a Vienna-based interdisciplinary collective, curates an interactive installation. Working across new media, art and performance, they bridge physical and virtual worlds through experimental, community-focused practices.
OFFICIAL OPENING Creative Days Vienna 2026
Opening words by Dominic Weiss, Managing Director of the Vienna Business Agency, and Elisabeth Noever Ginthör, Director of Creative Industries, together with Heinz Wolf of Creative Days Vienna. Moderated by Severin Matusek of co-matter.
TALK Günseli Yalcinkaya
Günseli Yalcinkaya, a London-based writer, researcher and critic, explores how emerging technologies shape myths, ideologies and digital folklore. With work spanning Dazed, 032c, Art Review and more, she examines the stories we build around AI and computation. She will guide us into the narratives forming around our technological future.
KEYNOTE Shumon Basar
Shumon Basar, a writer, thinker and curator known for The Extreme Self and his long-standing work with global art institutions, brings a unique perspective on culture in the “extreme present.” Drawing from his curatorial practice, institutional collaborations and conceptual vocabulary, his keynote promises to open the evening with reflections on how we make sense of a rapidly shifting world.
PERFORMANCE curated by NeverAtHome
Cat Jimenez, Vienna‑based dancer, choreographer and actress, explores how rhythm, movement and cultural memory shape human experience. Her performance is curated by NeverAtHome, a nomadic art space activating unused and distinctive buildings for creative work, currently housed at Funkhaus Vienna.
DJ, Drinks and Gathering
The opening evening concludes with a club night, offering a relaxed space to meet, and continue conversations sparked throughout the opening program.
Keynote Speaker
Expert
Moderator
Contact
Questions about the event? Please contact us.

