Necessary Wishes, foregrounds art that is born out of necessity and shaped by a reflexive, embodied engagement with the conditions people inhabit every day. The biennale is cocurated by Jaroslava Tomanová, Jakub Gawkowski, and František Fekete.

The three-month exhibition and program of events will take place from June 12 to September 13, 2026, at the National Gallery Prague – Trade Fair Palace, GAMPA – City Gallery Pardubice, and the Tusculum Prague art center, with several projects expanding the timeframe of the biennale beyond this period.

The public Opening Ceremony will take place on June 11 at 19:00 in the National Gallery Prague, and the Opening Weekend program will continue until Sunday, June 14, with performances, guided tours, and other events. All of the exhibition venues and events will be open to the public free of charge.

More than 49 artists and collectives will be presented in the Biennale – AntiGonna, Noor Abed, Szymon Adamczak, Željka Aleksić, Gleb Amankulov, David Apakidze, Yana Bachynska / Jan Bačynsjkyj, Jürgen Baldiga, Leila Basma & Zaher Jureidini, Rufina Bazlova / Stitch It Collective, Ștefan Bertalan, Cezary Bodzianowski, Tina Bxtq, Michal Durda / Izbová teplota, Jan Durina, Fůd, GALAS (Галас), Hana Garová, Ladislava Gažiová, Davyd Chychkan, Nosrat Karimi, Seba Kayan, Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven, Adrián Kriška, Běla Kolářová, kroužek intersekce, Isadora Neves Marques, Nadia Markiewicz, Zoi Michailova, Shabu Mwangi, Aron Neubert, Aliza Orlan, Bronislava Orlická & Zuzana Smrkovská, Taring Padi, Cezary Poniatowski, Publik Universal Frxnd, Margaret Raspé, Nour Shantout, Shella Radio, Alex Sihelsk*, Felipe Steinberg, StonyTellers, Alina Sokolova, Fedir Tetyanych, Huda Takriti, Liliana Zeic, Jiří Žák. The list includes six new commissions.

Groups, collectives, as well as individuals seeking a temporary space to host events in Prague are invited to use The Tent, which can be found within the 2026 Biennale Matter of Art exhibition in the Great Hall of the National Gallery Prague’s Trade Fair Palace. Initiated by the grassroots reading platform kroužek intersekce, The Tent is a multi-use space for hosting community meetings, educational events, discussions, and more. Equipped with chairs, a loudspeaker, a microphone, a copy machine, and stationery, the space can be borrowed free of charge by anyone.