Art in the fight against panic: Ars Electronica 2025 in Linz!

Art in the fight against panic: Ars Electronica 2025 in Linz!

The Ars Electronica Festival 2025 is just around the corner and will take place in Linz from September 3rd to 7th, 2025. Under the motto “PANIC – yes/no”, the festival will address central issues of our age. The focus is on how society deals with change, uncertainty and the challenges of global crises.

The festival will take place at various venues, including POSTCITY and other locations. The program includes a variety of formats, including exhibitions, concerts, talks, performances as well as workshops and panels. The aim is to offer an international platform for art, culture, science and technology that creates space for exchange, innovation and the courage to change.

Diverse program and highlights

The festival expects participants from various fields, including artists, scientists, students, entrepreneurs and political decision-makers. A variety of events are on the program during the festival days:

• Pre-Opening-Walk am 2. September mit freiem Eintritt in verschiedenen Locations.
• Offizielles Opening am 3. September, das Ausschnitte der Walzersymphonie bietet, gespielt von Musiker*innen des Bruckner Orchesters Linz.
• Die Prix Ars Electronica Award Ceremony am 4. September im Design Center Linz.
• Eine große Konzertnacht in der Gleishalle der POSTCITY am 5. September, inklusive der Aufführung der Kammeroper „Der Kaiser von Atlantis“.
• Sonic Saturday an der Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität am 6. September.
• Futurelab Night im Deep Space 8K mit Präsentationen neuer Technologien.

A special highlight is the Prix Ars Electronica exhibition in the Lentos Art Museum Linz, which presents excellent media art projects. The POSTCITY bunker will also feature an installation that takes up the festival theme and presents the results of the residency program.

Art and technology in dialogue

The festival's themes are particularly relevant today, when technology and art are in constant dialogue. The Development media art reflects the effects of technological change and its influence on everyday life. Artists experiment with new technologies for aesthetic productions that also trigger important social debates.

An example of the fusion of art and technology is the VR installation “Atmospheric Forest,” which allows visitors to immerse themselves in digital forests. Such installations not only address creative expressions, but also pressing issues such as climate change and the impact of human activity on the environment.

The festival will also take into account the European Commission's S+T+ARTS initiative, which deals with innovative projects. Workshops on democracy, media literacy and digital transformation will provide a platform for critical discourse that raises questions about artificial intelligence, social justice and the role of art in a digitally influenced society.

The Ars Electronica Festival 2025 is therefore not only an event for those interested in art, but also a place where new ideas and perspectives on the challenges of our time can be discussed. It promises an exciting examination of the topics that will help shape our future.