Hito Steyerl and the biennial presence of Mechanical Kurds
Published on 08/28/2026 at 16:23 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Hito Steyerl anchors her current program around the video installation Mechanical Kurds, a work that travels between institutions and biennials. The artist’s official site lists the piece as part of INDEX Biennial 2026 in Braga and in the Kyiv Biennial program at KW Institute in Berlin, embedding it in a wider discourse on power and technology.
Mechanical Kurds at MACRO and INDEX
The single-channel video installation Mechanical Kurds is on view at MACRO Museo d’Arte Contemporanea in Rome in 2026, where it combines moving image with immersive spatial elements to examine digital labor and artificial intelligence. The work was commissioned in 2025 by Jeu de Paume in Paris and the New Museum in New York, underscoring its institutional backing.
Artdaily’s overview of MACRO’s 2026 program describes Mechanical Kurds as a first presentation in Italy, running within the museum’s season and curated by Alice Labor, with the installation foregrounding Kurdish-Syrian refugees working as ‘ghost workers’ in AI training processes. Photography-now’s artist page aligns the MACRO dates in 2026, confirming the work’s presence in Rome alongside Steyerl’s other projects.
Biennials: INDEX in Braga and Kyiv at KW
Steyerl’s own exhibition list notes INDEX Biennial 2026 in Braga as part of her group activities, placing Mechanical Kurds among installations and moving-image works that engage with questions of technological power and image politics. The biennial, themed around ‘Power’, brings together artists such as Forensic Architecture and Raven Chacon to address surveillance, AI and structural inequality.
A curatorial text from Clotmag emphasizes how Mechanical Kurds at the Monserrato venue sharpens INDEX’s focus on image politics, linking the historical automaton known as the Turk with present-day distributed digital labor in AI systems. In parallel, the Kyiv Biennial’s 2025-2026 program at KW Institute for Contemporary Art in Berlin includes a pipeline-themed installation and a discussion featuring Steyerl, extending her critique of infrastructure and data flows into a broader geopolitical frame.
All news and background on Hito Steyerl
For further coverage of Hito Steyerl’s exhibitions, biennial contributions and institutional projects, the AD HOC NEWS archive offers additional reports and context.
The core of the practice
Steyerl works primarily with video, essayistic film and installation, weaving documentary material with speculative scenarios to analyze how images circulate within regimes of power. Projects such as The Island at Fondazione Prada and Der Menschheit ist die Kugel... at MAK Vienna extend this investigation to urban ruin, warfare and media infrastructure.
Where the artist stands now
Against this backdrop, Hito Steyerl’s current program links institutional exhibitions like Mechanical Kurds at MACRO with biennial platforms such as INDEX in Braga and the Kyiv Biennial at KW Berlin, consolidating her position in debates on AI, labor and geopolitics.
Key facts on Hito Steyerl
- Artist: Hito Steyerl
- Medium / Genre: Video, installation, essay film
- Born: 1966, Munich, Germany
- Place(s) of practice: Studio and teaching practice linked to Berlin
- Active since: Early 1990s, with expanded institutional presence from the 2000s
- Key work groups: Mechanical Kurds, The Island, Der Menschheit ist die Kugel..., essay films on digital images and warfare
- Current/last exhibition: Mechanical Kurds, MACRO Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, Rome, within the 2026 program
- Major collections: MAK (Vienna), Fondazione Prada (Milan), institutions such as Kunstmuseum Bonn and Deichtorhallen Hamburg involved through related projects
- Awards: Recognized in rankings and critical discourse, with institutional honors reflected in commissions by Jeu de Paume and New Museum
- Next date: Biennial engagements in 2026 at INDEX in Braga and the Kyiv Biennial at KW Berlin within the broader season
Frequently asked questions about Hito Steyerl
Where is Hito Steyerl’s work Mechanical Kurds currently on view?
The installation Mechanical Kurds is part of MACRO Museo d’Arte Contemporanea’s 2026 program in Rome, presented as a single-channel video with immersive elements that focus on AI, digital labor and refugee testimonies.
How does Mechanical Kurds connect to INDEX Biennial 2026?
Steyerl’s listing and curatorial texts link Mechanical Kurds to INDEX Biennial 2026 in Braga, where it contributes to a thematic focus on power, image politics and the infrastructures behind AI systems.
What role does Hito Steyerl play in the Kyiv Biennial program at KW Berlin?
The Kyiv Biennial schedule at KW Institute for Contemporary Art includes a pipeline-focused installation and a discussion featuring Steyerl, extending her interest in data flows and geopolitical infrastructure into a collaborative, discursive format.
This article was produced with a.i. support and editorially reviewed. All statements without guarantee; auction results, exhibition dates and awards may change at short notice.
