Special projects
Special projects
Exhibitions specially designed for Art Genève, presented by foundations, institutional collections, and private collections.
Each edition of Art Genève offers visitors a unique experience through its programme of exclusively non-commercial exhibitions.
Nobuko Tsuchiya, 30 Ways to go to the moon, 2024 – Yebisu International Festival for Art & Alternative Visons
Fondation Antoine de Galbert
The Antoine de Galbert Foundation – created in 2003 by collector Antoine de Galbert and recognised as a public utility – supports creation in the field of modern and contemporary art.
As part of the ‘Jean Chatelus’ residency programme, initiated in collaboration with the Cité internationale des arts, the Foundation invited Japanese artist Nobuko Tsuchiya for a one-year residency in Paris.
Tsuchiya’s visual language reflects her intense understanding of the characteristics of different materials. “I feel that materials are magnets; they draw up energies. My work is an accumulation of decisions arrived at by employing different ways of thinking: linguistic, musical, logical, sensual, sensory, and experimental. I work a lot with these intuitions, or pulses of energy, which I feel in the materials, and experiment with as indicators of narrative, as channels into memory.”
Art Gèneve – In course of acquisitions © Photo-Annik-Wetter
In course of acquisitions – MAMCO Genève
During Art Genève 2026, MAMCO plans to acquire artworks for its collection in situ. Its booth will thus start out completely empty and will slowly fill up with works discovered at the event. Its acquisition criteria will remain the same as in any other context, i.e., whether a work is the right fit for MAMCO‘s collections and whether the price matches its budget. By making visible its acquisition process, MAMCO hopes to show the role that art fairs play, actively partnering with artists, collectors, galleries and the general public.
This on-going project, deliberately built around a principle of transparency, highlights MAMCO’s position in Geneva and Art Genève’s efforts to make the show a regular stop on the European art scene. This project has been made possible by the friends of the Museum (l‘Association des Amis du MAMCO), some of whom will be present at the stand, a private donor and Mirabaud & Cie SA.
ESPRESSOBAR by Egill Sæbjörnsson, Theo Triantafyllidis, Polina Miliou. Presented at Art Genève 2026 by Swiss Institute, New York. Courtesy of the artists. Rendering by Fabien Neisius.
ESPRESSOBAR
Egill Sæbjörnsson, Theo Triantafyllidis, Polina Miliou
Presented at Art Genève 2026 by Swiss Institute, New York
Swiss Institute is pleased to present ESPRESSOBAR, a participatory artwork by Egill Sæbjörnsson and Theo Triantafyllidis, in collaboration with Polina Miliou, that explores world-building, gaming, and performativity, creating a hybrid space where conversation and artistic gestures mingle with the commercial format of an espresso bar. ESPRESSOBAR also highlights the cultural exchange of coffee rituals, bridging traditions of social gathering and experimental artistic approaches. Guests can sip coffee while enjoying the space, engaging in conversation with other guests and the baristas; the work blurs the lines between an art exhibition and a commercial space, mixing real life with gaming and performance.
While at ESPRESSOBAR, sometimes everything is quiet and normal, but sometimes the coffee is hot, the energy strange, and nothing quite what it seems: orders become incantations, conversation is part of the choreography, and the espresso flows like lava from an ancient machine god. Visitors are both customers and co-conspirators in an unfolding drama. The work examines our relationship with the non-human species of caffeine, a community built around food and drink, and the collective imagination of humans—and possibly, the coffee plant itself.
ABOUT SWISS INSTITUTE
Founded in 1986, Swiss Institute (SI) is an independent nonprofit contemporary art institution dedicated to promoting forward-thinking and experimental artmaking through innovative exhibitions, education, and programs. Committed to the highest standards of curatorial and educational excellence, SI serves as a platform for emerging artists, catalyzes new perspectives on celebrated work, and fosters appreciation for under-recognized positions. SI is committed to being an organization that is diverse, equitable, accessible, and environmentally conscious in its work, structure, and programming. Open to the public free of charge, SI seeks to explore how a Swiss context can be the starting point for international conversations in the fields of visual and performing arts, design, and architecture.
Previous editions
Art Genève 2025, The Cranford Collection
Art Genève 2025, Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg, Berlin, Surreale Welten – Mondes surréels – Surreal Worlds
Art Genève 2025, Fondation Gandur pour l’Art
Art Genève 2023, Barry Flanagan
Art Genève 2020, Royal Academy of Arts, Julien Gremaud
Art Genève 2019, The Estate Show, Julien Gremaud
Art Genève 2018, Mark Leckey Felix
Art Genève 2017, Adel Abdessemed, Annik Wetter
Art Genève 2016, Private Collection, Annik Wetter
Ports Francs
This program has been made possible thanks to the support of Ports Francs.
Dedicated to serving Geneva’s economy, the Geneva Free Ports and Warehouses are pleased to support Art Genève in its mission to promote artistic initiative and collections. This includes thoughtfully curated, non-commercial exhibitions presented by foundations, as well as institutional and private collections. These exhibitions provide the public with a unique opportunity to discover diverse, meaningful works within an exceptional space for artistic discovery and dialogue.
We are proud to support this event, which plays a vital role in enriching the cultural landscape and strengthening Geneva’s international reputation.