INDEX 2026: Art and Technology Biennial returns from 7 to 17 May

In recent decades, exponential technological advances have driven unprecedented development. At the same time, they have contributed to growing political and social fragmentation, the rise of extremism, widening economic inequality and pervasive algorithmic surveillance. These dynamics have profoundly reshaped global power structures and challenged traditional notions of sovereignty, increasingly influenced by the dominance of global technology corporations.

It is in response to this context that the INDEX Biennial — an initiative of Braga Media Arts — returns to the city with a broad and critical reflection on the intersections between Power, Art and Technology. The programme encompasses performances, conferences, a city-wide exhibition and an educational strand designed to engage diverse audiences.

The biennial opens at Theatro Circo with Forensic Architecture & Bill Kouligas presenting the national premiere of The Drum and the Bird, a multisensory work that extends the collective’s research into German colonialism in Namibia. Also featured is a new collaboration between the Norwegian group Supersilent and artist and sound researcher Lawrence Abu Hamdan, recipient of the 2019 Turner Prize. Jointly commissioned by the Rewire festival and INDEX, the performance draws on research conducted by Earshot, a sound research initiative founded by Hamdan, investigating attacks on journalists in Palestine.

In TALOS, choreographer Arkadi Zaides examines the relationship between movement, advanced technologies and the future of geopolitical borders, exploring tensions between action and reaction, limits and transgression, paralysis and mobility.

INDEX has also commissioned the collective ZABRA to develop a new work during a residency at gnration, where it will premiere. The venue will also host a concert by the duo Nídia & Valentina Magaletti, followed by a performance by Supa, a pioneering figure in the Portuguese dance music scene.

As in previous editions, the exhibition programme unfolds across multiple venues in Braga, including gnration, Theatro Circo and Mosteiro de Tibães, joined in 2026 by Forum Arte Braga and Muzeu. The exhibition, opening in April, is curated by Joel Valabrega and brings together prominent figures in contemporary art. Highlights include Hito Steyerl; Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Raven Chacon presenting Storm Pattern, a work addressing drone surveillance in Native American communities; Gabriel Abrantes with Bardo Loops; and works by Pauline Boudry & Renate Lorenz, Cemile Sahin and Shuang Li.

The conference programme, aligned with the central theme of “Power,” will feature leading thinkers in art, technology and political theory, including McKenzie Wark, Yves Citton, José Gil, Sofia Miguens and António Guerreiro. Admission to the conferences is free.

Through Circuito — the Educational Service of Braga Media Arts — the Biennial also presents a mediation programme for schools and families. Between 7 and 17 May, young participants will be invited to take part in workshops on philocreativity (philosophy for children), led by Joana Rita Sousa, as well as guided visits to the exhibition programme across the city.

INDEX is an initiative of Braga Media Arts dedicated to exploring the relationship between art and technology and fostering critical dialogue on emerging issues in these fields. This third edition reinforces one of the central pillars of Braga’s designation as a UNESCO Creative Cities Network Creative City of Media Arts: affirming the city as a platform for critical reflection and contemporary creation at both national and international levels. The Biennial is promoted by Faz Cultura EM with the support of the Municipality of Braga.