Julie Mehretu at Warsaw’s Museum of Modern Art
Published on 08/19/2026 at 17:28 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Julie Mehretu leads the major exhibition Kairos / Hauntological Variations at the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw. As the museum states, the show runs from March 20 to August 30, 2026 and marks Mehretu’s first extensive presentation in Poland. Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw exhibition page
The Warsaw exhibition in detail
The Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw describes Kairos / Hauntological Variations as an expanded chronology of Mehretu’s practice, spanning analytical diagram works of the late 1990s through recent large-scale paintings. The exhibition is curated by Szymon ?ydek, building on a concept by Susanne Gaensheimer and Sebastian Peter. White Cube exhibition announcement
The museum emphasizes that Mehretu’s work appears in Poland for the first time with this project, supported by major loans from the Pinault Collection and collaborations with Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen in Düsseldorf. The run through August 30, 2026 places Warsaw among the key European venues for large-scale institutional shows of contemporary painting.
Collection context on Wednesday
The Warsaw exhibition connects to a broader institutional presence of Mehretu’s work, which includes holdings at museums such as Tate, MoMA and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. These collections underline the museum tier at which Kairos / Hauntological Variations operates, positioning Warsaw alongside longer-established centers.
The show forms part of a sequence of institutional presentations, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s focus exhibition Julie Mehretu: In Focus that ran from September 20, 2025 to May 10, 2026, centered on the painting This Manifestation of Historical Restlessness.
All news and background on Julie Mehretu
For further reporting on Julie Mehretu’s exhibitions, auction results and museum holdings, the AD HOC NEWS archive offers additional articles and updates.
The work core in Warsaw
Mehretu’s Warsaw presentation brings together paintings and drawings that layer architectural plans, cartographic traces and digital imagery, often at monumental scale. The museum highlights how this structure engages with the Greek term kairos and Derrida’s notion of hauntology to address unresolved historical conflict. e-flux exhibition announcement
Where the artist stands now
Against this backdrop, Julie Mehretu’s exhibition Kairos / Hauntological Variations remains on view at the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw through August 30, 2026.
Key facts on Julie Mehretu
- Artist: Julie Mehretu
- Medium / Genre: Painting and drawing (abstract, cartographic)
- Born: 1970, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Place(s) of practice: Studio practice between New York and Berlin, with international institutional collaborations
- Active since: Early 1990s, with diagrammatic works emerging in the late 1990s
- Key work groups: Epigraph, Damascus, Walkers With the Dawn and Morning, This Manifestation of Historical Restlessness, Our Days, Like a Shadow (a non-abiding hauntology)
- Current/last exhibition: Kairos / Hauntological Variations, Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, March 20–August 30, 2026
- Major collections: Tate (London), Museum of Modern Art (New York), National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.), Philadelphia Museum of Art, Saint Louis Art Museum
- Awards: Multiple international recognitions including major biennial participations and institutional honors documented across museum biographies
- Next date: Exhibition end date, August 30, 2026, Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw
Frequently asked questions about Julie Mehretu
Where can Julie Mehretu’s work be seen in August 2026?
In August 2026, Mehretu’s work is on view in the exhibition Kairos / Hauntological Variations at the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, which runs until August 30, 2026.
What is the focus of the exhibition Kairos / Hauntological Variations?
The Warsaw exhibition presents an expanded chronology of Mehretu’s practice, from late 1990s diagrammatic works to recent large-scale paintings, framed by concepts of kairos and hauntology and supported by major loans from the Pinault Collection.
How does this exhibition fit into Mehretu’s broader museum presence?
The Warsaw show complements other institutional projects, such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s focus exhibition in 2025–2026 and upcoming presentations like the Saint Louis Art Museum’s project centered on Epigraph, Damascus, confirming her position in top-tier collections.
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.
