BINÁLÉ 2025 - We Are Not Alone
We Are Not Alone” – BINÁLÉ 2025
17 September – 26 October 2025 | Merlin, Budapest
“In a world profoundly marked by hyper-connectivity, the paradox of contemporary alienation has never been clearer. BINÁLÉ 2025 invites us to reconsider what it means to encounter the ‘Other’—be it extraterrestrial, artificial, or deeply human. Our relationships with these varied ‘aliens’ challenge and redefine our understanding of community, intimacy, and belonging. Through immersive experiences, we explore how art and technology might heal the loneliness of our digital age by fostering new forms of connection.” — Viola Lukács, Curator
In the era of hyperconnectivity and uncanny intelligences, the thematic proposition “We Are Not Alone” invites critical examination: What does encountering otherness mean today, whether it manifests as artificial intelligences, extraterrestrial beings, or even the unknown dimensions within ourselves? It encompasses everything beyond our perception, outside our comfort zone, provoking anxiety about losing control.
The 2025 BINÁLÉ in Budapest, through transformative participatory installations and provocative dialogues, seeks to collectively and constructively recalibrate human attitudes towards encountering the "alien." At the same time, it confronts us with a striking paradox: despite humanity's unprecedented interconnectedness, feelings of alienation and loneliness have perhaps never been more widespread.
This year's thematic focus of BINÁLÉ can also be interpreted as a political statement: we are not alone, meaning we are not isolated. At a time when nationalism and xenophobia are resurging, this statement serves as a reminder that no nation or culture exists in isolation. The international and intercultural participation at the event—with Hungarian and Mexican new-media artists alongside Japanese, German, Canadian, and American creators—stands as a testament to this idea.
BINÁLÉ 2025 is realized in collaboration with the experimental art collection 0xCollection and Örkény István Theatre. Curated by Viola Lukács and Júlia Neudold, with designs by Máté Serflek, animations by Gábor Kitzinger, and soundscapes by Rozi Mákó shaping the exhibition experience.
Exhibiting Artists: Berkes Dorka (HU/A) Mitchell F. Chan (CA) EJTECH (HU/MX) Sarah Friend (CA/D) Kurt Hentschläger (US/A) Holly Herndon; Mat Dryhurst (US/UK/D) Jenny Holzer (US) Ryoji Ikeda (JP) Kim Le Boutin (FR) Kitzinger Gábor; Nagy András László; Mákó Rozi (x crew) Komoróczky Tamás (HU) Kálmán Mátyás (HU) Daito Manabe (JP) Tatsuo Miyajima (JP) Nagy Ágoston (HU) Carsten Nicolai (D) Nam June Paik (US/KR) Trevor Paglen (US) Hito Steyerl (D) Hua Wang (CN/D).
>> Full program coming soon
“We require each other in unexpected collaborations and combinations... We become-with each other or not at all… Alone... we succumb to despair.”
– Donna Haraway
Opening dates: September 17 – October 26, 2025
Opening hours:
Weekdays: 15:00–22:00
Weekends: 11:00–13:00 and 15:00–22:00
October 3: closed
Venue: Merlin, City Hall Park
See you in Budapest this September.
Reserve your spot here: https://www.tixa.hu/binale-2025-we-are-not-alone-20250917