Manifesto of Spring

Press Release

ZKM | Karlsruhe joins forces with ACC (Gwangju) and M+ (Hong Kong) for landmark exhibition “Manifesto of Spring”

ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe co-produces the landmark exhibition “Manifesto of Spring” with the National Asian Culture Center (ACC) in Gwangju and M+ in Hong Kong. The project gathers an international constellation of artists, scientists, and theorists to examine economic globalization and consider alternative practices, with a focus on regionality, biodiversity, and future generations. The exhibition features 13 newly commissioned artworks.

Manifesto of Spring
5 September 2025 – 22 February 2026
National Asian Culture Center (ACC), Gwangju, South Korea

The exhibition brings together artists, scientists, and theorists to examine economic globalization and consider alternative practices, with a focus on regionality, biodiversity, and future generations. ACC held a symposium in October 2024 to kickstart curatorial research for the exhibition and expand the discourse beyond the Anthropocene, spotlighting new perspectives on capitalist value systems and their entanglement with the natural world. The exhibition is a manifesto for the future – the spring that we hope for, in which all species can coexist. Participating artists include ikkibawiKrrr, Kim Soun-Gui, Kelvin Kyung Kun Park, Anne Duk Hee Jordan, Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries, Ho Rui An, Zheng Bo, Chan Sook Choi, Connie Zheng, and others whose works address ecological and social issues through interdisciplinary approaches. This exhibition features 13 newly commissioned works.

"Working together with our partners at ACC and M+ has been an extremely rewarding and generative process, one that has created a pertinent exhibition that resonates strongly with our times. All three institutions are ‘more than museums’, serving as centres of research, production, and mediation. This has made our collaboration all the more fitting and has enabled the commissioning of new media works from wonderful artists who engage with the politics of our world in very astute ways."

– Alistair Hudson, Scientific-Artistic Chairman of ZKM

 
"The ZKM has a long history of collaborations with South Korea. It is therefore wonderful to continue this fruitful exchange with the exhibition ‘Manifesto of Spring’. Working together with two major institutions from the Southeast Asian region, the ACC in Gwangju and M+ in Hong Kong, has been an exceptional experience. This is true not only in terms of the collaborative curatorial process but also because of the remarkable artworks we have been able to bring together, many of which were newly commissioned for this project. The exhibition raises important questions about some of the most pressing issues of our time, and it would of course be a dream to present some of these works here in Karlsruhe as well."

– Clara Runge, Curator, ZKM

Participating Artists
Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg, Anne Duk Hee Jordan, CATPC, Chan Sook Choi, Connie Zheng, Fernando Palma Rodríguez, Ho Rui An, ikkibawiKrrr, James Bridle, Kelvin Kyung Kun Park, Kim Soun-Gui, Renzo Martens, Seo Dongjin, Territorial Agency, Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries, Zheng Bo, 1995Hz

Manifesto of Spring is co-curated by Kim Jiha, Senior Curator, ACC; Lim Liwon, Curator, ACC; Jeon Minsu, Assistant Curator, ACC; Silke Schmickl, CHANEL Senior Curator, Head of Moving Image, M+; Kelly Li, Assistant Curator, Moving Image, M+; Alistair Hudson, Scientific-Artistic Chairman, ZKM; and Clara Runge, Curator, ZKM.


About the three institutions

Founded in 1989, the ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe is internationally renowned for its open and expansive concept of art in the digital age. At the ZKM, scientific and artistic research converge to explore and shape the field of electronic arts. Through this interdisciplinary approach, the ZKM not only collects, preserves and presents key works of media art from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries but also actively contributes to their ongoing evolution. Whether through exhibitions, symposia, publications, concert programs, or digital formats, the ZKM serves as a vibrant platform for discourse on art and technology, engaging with society, science, business, and politics. Its mission is to investigate and deepen our understanding of how the media and digital worlds impact human life.

National Asian Culture Center (ACC) is an international arts and cultural exchange organisation producing new and forward-thinking programs and research by converging traditional and contemporary Asian art and culture with innovative ideas and beliefs. Opened in November 2015 and affiliated with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea, ACC draws artistic significance from the May 18th Democratic Movement and its emphasis on peace and human rights. ACC promotes mutual understanding, collaboration, and growth among Asian countries through various initiatives about Asian culture, including exchange programmes, education, and research. It is an integrated platform for participants from Asia and around the world to come together and share ideas while transcending boundaries in their research, creative processes, and production. Throughout the year, ACC hosts diverse and dynamic programmes such as exhibitions, performances, education, and festivals using collected research data and other resources. These initiatives showcase the creative outputs of experts from various fields and cultivate an environment for creativity and exchange.

M+ is Asia’s global museum of contemporary visual culture. Located in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District (WestK), it is dedicated to collecting, exhibiting, and interpreting visual art, design and architecture, moving image, and Hong Kong visual culture of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The landmark M+ building on Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbourfront was designed by the world-renowned architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron in partnership with TFP Farrells and Arup. It spans a total floor area of 65,000 square metres, featuring thirty-three galleries alongside a Learning Hub, Moving Image Centre, Research Centre, and Roof Garden, among other event and programming spaces. The M+ Facade is one of the largest LED screens in the world, showcasing commissioned artworks on the Hong Kong skyline every evening. The museum stewards a multidisciplinary permanent collection that includes objects from regions across Asia and beyond. A highlight is the M+ Sigg Collection, one of the world’s most comprehensive collections of Chinese contemporary art. Today, M+ is a nexus for researching and presenting contemporary visual culture, inspiring thought and curiosity.