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. In addition, the HOT BOX in front of the Funkhaus will be curated culinarily by LEV from 7:00 p.m. to approximately 10:00 p.m. 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: AGENTIC EI (Emergent Intelligence)
AGENTIC: EI (Emergent Intelligence) is a real-time, AI-driven installation that explores collective intelligence between humans and machines. In a continuously evolving multi-screen environment, autonomous AI agents interact with live audience input, transforming moods, thoughts and text into a shared visual and narrative experience. Curated by NODE Media Lab.
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.
HOT BOX X Kollektiv LEV
The Vienna hot dog stand, which won an award in the “Creatives for Vienna – Making Spaces” competition, was already in use during the Vienna Climate Biennale and is now once again bringing new life to the urban space in front of the Funkhaus during Creative Days Vienna. As part of Creative Days Vienna, the HOT BOX will feature culinary offerings from LEV on May 20 from 7:00 p.m. to approximately 10:00 p.m.
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.
Expert
Keynote Speaker
Moderator
Contact
Questions about the event? Please contact us.

