Ben Livne Weitzman

Last week, Uplifting Instruction by William Forsythe made its guerrilla debut in Venice: four planes traversing the sky above the Grand Canal, each trailing a banner. Through the smartphone screen, the viewers reveal and track their movement. Together, the banners form an instruction, a call to action. Viewed from the outside, those looking up move in intentional yet unexplained ways: heads tilting, bodies turning, attention held by something only they can see. An absent presence occupying and augmenting the site — one that cannot be removed or taken down. The work remains on view at the corner of Via Garibaldi and the Grand Canal until the end of the Biennale, accessible 24/7 via the free WAVA app. From June, the planes will appear above @museumvoorlinden in Den Haag, and from August 2nd they will circle the iconic @zkmkarlsruhe . Grateful to @remko.vda for the thoughtful and immaculate 3D design, to the entire WAVA team, @davidbachmann_ @florian_adolph , and of course to @william_forsythe_ and to @julianrichter , for the take off and landing of this dream project. ✈️ ✈️ ✈️ ✈️

„Both exhibitions challenge us to rethink what we take is given.“ Was die Arbeiten von Lisa Barnard und Isadora Romero so relevant macht, beleuchtet Kurator Ben Livne Weitzman im Crespo Talk. Lisa Barnard und Isadora Romero sind die Trägerinnen des „After Nature . Ulrike Crespo Photography Prize 25“. Ihre Ausstellungen „You Only Look Once“ von Lisa Barnard und „Notes on How to Build a Forest“ von Isadora Romero werden aktuell im Crespo Open Space gezeigt. Sie eröffnen zwei künstlerische Perspektiven auf das Zusammenspiel von Natur, Technologie und Gesellschaft. SAVE THE DATE Finissage mit Lecture und Talk mit Siegfried Zielinski (16 Uhr) und Kuratorenführung (14 Uhr) 31.05.2026 Crespo Open Space Weißfrauenstraße 1—3 60311 Frankfurt Eintritt frei ___ ‘Both exhibitions challenge us to rethink what we take as given.’ In this edition of Crespo Talk, curator Ben Livne Weitzman reflects on what makes the work of Lisa Barnard and Isadora Romero so relevant. Lisa Barnard and Isadora Romero are the awardees of the ‘After Nature . Ulrike Crespo Photography Prize 25’. The exhibitions ‘You Only Look Once’ by Lisa Barnard and ‘Notes on How to Build a Forest’ by Isadora Romero are now on view at the Crespo Open Space, opening up two artistic perspectives on the interplay between nature, technology, and society. SAVE THE DATE Finissage with a lecture and talk with Siegfried Zielinski (4 pm) and a curator’s guided tour (2 pm) 31.05.2026 Crespo Open Space Weißfrauenstraße 1—3 60311 Frankfurt Free entry

Our excitement is growing by the minute for the opening of our new exhibition “Gathering Winds”, presented with the @crespofoundation and curated by @benlw . The exhibition brings together artist collective @forerunner_studio , the family collective Mbuchi @evaposas @davidhabets , and artist @sonyaschonberger . In two installations and a collection of photographs, the artists take us on an exploration of the element of air, in its omnipresence, inherent restlessness and invisible force. We are delighted to invite you to the opening at 37 Merrion Square on Wednesday, 13 May 2026 at 6 pm, followed by a reception 🥂 The two artist collectives will be present at the opening to share further insights into their creative processes. Entry is free and no prior registration is required. 🔗 Find all info on “Gathering Winds” through the link in our bio.

The Crespo x C/O Berlin photography prize AFTER NATURE returns for its second edition, featuring the fantastic Lisa Barnard and Isadora Romero. The joint exhibition is on at the Crespo Open Space until the end of May, with many tours and events in between, including an Artist Talk on April 22nd and a guest lecture by Siegfried Zielinski (!!) on May 31st. From a toxified Salton Sea in California that harbours remnants of many geopolitical and social entanglements of the past 100+ years to cloud forests in Ecuador that are being reimagined and co-cultivated by local communities, the two exhibitions open prisms into places and histories that reveal the underlying structures shaping our understanding of nature, our use of technology, and the framing mechanisms of our very own perception. My immense gratitude goes out to all who pitched in to make this show take form — from the impeccable installation team, the whole Crepso team, Christiane, Lena, Sophie and of course Smila, the wonderful C/O team, especially Katherina and Caro, all those who care for design, architecture, communication, all the attendants, the visitors, and of course — to dear Lisa and Isadora <3 Photos 2, 4, 8, 16 by @jensgerberfotografie

Should art in public spaces require permission? WAVA’s projects occupy public space without asking for it, no permits, no plaques, no QR codes. You open the app, point your phone, and the work appears, ephemeral yet anchored to a specific site. Founded by a collective of artists and curators, WAVA (@wava__ar ) frees art from physical and bureaucratic limits. Artist Ahmet Öğüt (@ahmet__ogut ) created digital monuments for whistleblowers, including Li Wenliang, placing them in spaces where any physical marker would be removed. “Technology lets us reclaim visibility,” says @benlw . WAVA’s infrastructure powered AR works at the recent São Paulo Biennale (@bienalsaopaulo ), allowing installations to appear around the world, far beyond the walls of the exhibition itself. Recent collaborators include Salwa Aleryani, Ahmet Öğüt, Andrew Roberts, and Ming Smith, each using digital interventions to question how art occupies place, memory, and power. 🔗 Read the full feature via the link in bio #augmentedrealityart #publicart #digitalmonuments #artandtechnology #wavaar artinpublicspace

Am Donnerstag, den 12. März 2026, eröffnen wir die neue Ausgabe des „After Nature · Ulrike Crespo Photography Prize“. Der Preis, den wir gemeinsam mit C/O Berlin ins Leben gerufen haben, wurde 2025 an Lisa Barnard (1967, Großbritannien) und Isadora Romero (1987, Ecuador) verliehen. Ihre beiden Einzelausstellungen „Lisa Barnard · You Only Look Once“ und „Isadora Romero · Notes on How to Build a Forest“ werden von Berlin in den Crespo Open Space weitergeführt und dort neu konzipiert. Führungen gibt es jeweils montags und samstags. Wir freuen uns, Sie und Euch im Crespo Open Space begrüßen zu dürfen! ---- On Thursday, 12 March 2026, we will open the new iteration of ‘After Nature · Ulrike Crespo Photography Prize’. The award, initiated in collaboration with C/O Berlin, was presented in 2025 to Lisa Barnard (1967, United Kingdom) and Isadora Romero (1987, Ecuador). Their two solo exhibitions, ‘Lisa Barnard · You Only Look Once’ and ‘Isadora Romero · Notes on How to Build a Forest’, will travel from Berlin and be reimagined for the Crespo Open Space, where they will be on view from 13 March 2026. Guided tours will take place on Mondays and Saturdays. We look forward to welcoming you to Crespo Open Space!

The main exhibition of the 36th Bienal de São Paulo has closed. However, between the travelling shows and the resonance illuminating from the different artworks, encounters, publications and expansions, it is very much here to stay Apparitions, the show’s first of its kind augmented expansion, will also remain on view until the end of this year. With c. 50 artworks by Maxwell Alexandre, Akinbode Akinbiyi, Michele Ciacciofera, Cevdet Erek, Theo Eshetu, Adama Delphine Fawundu, Ruth Ige, Hamedine Kane, Lidia Lisboa, Andrew Roberts, Juliana dos Santos, Ming Smith, Camille Turner, and Cici Wu with Yuan Yuan, appearing worldwide through the @wava__ar app Apparitions invites us to rethink where art belongs and who has the power to present it—and where. It trespasses into unexpected spaces, appearing vivid and defiant yet remaining hidden from plain sight. By linking artistic interventions to specific localities while connecting them to a global network, Apparitions provides a dynamic means to sustain critical conversations across distances, fostering new tools for assembly and dialogue. It is an experimental blueprint for reclaiming our already-hybrid public spaces and expanding exhibitions beyond their traditional space-time limitations into specific contexts and communities around the world My immense gratitude goes out to all the artists who joined this journey, most of whom worked and imagined for the first time with such tools and technologies To the inexhaustible curatorial team @thiago.paulasouza @anna_roberta_goetz @alyasebti @keynaeleison @henriette_galllus @matsuhei @pitol.andre and mostly to dear @bonaventurendikung for the faith and trust! To the @bienalsaopaulo team and especially the dream communication team @carolinecarrion @barcobebado et al To @joaogabrielhidalgo & team for the wonderful video To WAVA’s many supporters, and especially here to @paulamacedoweiss and @christiane_riedel To the unstoppable WAVA team and most of all to my co-conspirators @davidbachmann_ @florian_adolph , making the impossible happen for over five years now Very exciting things are lined up for the coming months. Stay tuned. An ending full of beginnings. Obrigado <3

Just before the year comes to an end, v happy to share some fragments from my text “On Vilém Flusser, Augmented Images and Site-Specific Apparitions” – a contemplation on and contextualization of Apparitions, the augmented expansion of the 36th Bienal de São Paulo. The full text is available on the @bienalsaopaulo website (link in bio), and more than 50 Apparitions around the world are waiting for you to reveal them!

Müssen wir skeptischer sein? Wie bewusst sind wir uns der Vergänglichkeit digitaler Kultur? Margit Rosen (Leiterin der Abteilung Wissen – Sammlung, Archive & Forschung am ZKM) sprach mit Ben Livne Weitzman (Kurator und Co-Gründer von @wava__ar ) und moderiert von Jeanne Charlotte Vogt (@nodeforum ) über viele spannende Fragen, über Medienkunst im Spiegel der Geschichte, Herausforderungen digitaler Innovationen in der Kunst und aktuelle Debatten. Die Expert*innen diskutierten lebhaft wie fragil digitale Kunstwerke sind, welche Wertschätzung ihr zugrunde liegt und wie Virtual-Reality Kultur, Kunst und unser Zusammenleben neu definiert. Die Villa 102 bot gestern eine Einladung, den Wert des Virtuellen weiter zu denken. Ausgangspunkt der Paneldiskussion war die Zusammenarbeit der KfW Stiftung mit @wava__ar für die Ausstellung MEET ME AT THE VILLA!, für die drei Werke in den virtuellen Raum adaptiert wurden. Danke an alle, die dabei waren und vielen Dank für eure Perspektiven @rosen_______ @benlw @jeannecv ENG Should we be more sceptical? How aware are we of the impermanence of digital culture? Margit Rosen (Head of the Knowledge – Collection, Archives & Research Department at ZKM) spoke with Ben Livne Weitzman, (curator and co-founder of @wava__ar ) and moderated by Jeanne Charlotte Vogt (@nodeforum ) about many interesting questions, media art in the mirror of history, challenges of digital innovations in art, and current debates. The experts engaged in a lively discussion about the fragility of digital artworks, the appreciation that lies behind them, and how virtual reality is redefining culture, art, and our coexistence. Yesterday, Villa 102 offered an invitation to think further about the value of the virtual. The starting point for the panel discussion was the collaboration between the KfW Foundation and WAVA (wava.ar) for the exhibition MEET ME AT THE VILLA!, for which three works were adapted for the virtual space. Thank you to everyone who attended and thank you for your perspectives @rosen_______ @benlw @jeannecv 📸KfW Stiftung / @salarbaygan #KfWStiftung #DigitalArt

Some snippets from my presentation of Apparitions, our WAVA collab with the 36th Bienal de São Paulo, at the falcon-shaped Etihad Museum for the 27th ICOM general conference. Download the @wava__ar app and go see these works on site in New York, Rio, São Paulo, and many other spots around the 🌍

Stumbled upon the recent issue of @friezeofficial at @buchhandlungwaltherfranzkoenig and in it I found the little review I wrote on @11parthenon . So happy I got to see this special show and gather some thoughts around it. Zoom in here or read the text online. Link in bio x

Last days to catch the Glenkeen Variations: Transitional Terrains at the @goetheinstitut_irland , running through October 24th with the works of ex-Glenkeen Garden Residents Lorenzo Rebediani, Vera Scaccabarozzi, Luca Trevisani, and Francesca Verga; Max Brück, Yulia Carolin Kothe and Katerina Sidorova. Some snippets from the show, talks, events, and the recent studio visits at Glenkeen with current residents Mareike Dobewall & Anthea Bush, and Elise Eeraerts & Roberto Aparicio Ronda. 1st, 2nd, and 6th photos by @sparkyscoops1