#25.ART Brasília Opens September 15: Six Days of Free Art and Technology in Brazil
BRAZIL · ARTS
Key Facts
- —What happened Brasília hosts the 25th International Meeting on Art and Technology, known as #25.ART, from September 15 to 20.
- —How big it is Organisers list more than 50 lectures, performances, exhibitions and video mapping works across two venues.
- —What it means You can see research-driven digital art for free, inside two Oscar Niemeyer buildings in central Brasília.
- —The catch The programme runs mostly in Portuguese, and some activities ask for a free sign-up in advance.
- —Where it happens The Museu Nacional da República and SESI Lab, both in the monumental centre of Brasília, Brazil.
- —What comes next In-person days end on September 18, the final two days move online, and one exhibition runs to October 18.
The #25.ART Brasília festival brings more than 50 free talks, performances and exhibitions to two Oscar Niemeyer buildings in Brazil.
#25.ART Brasília opens on Tuesday, September 15, at two museums in the capital of Brazil. Entry is free, and organisers list more than 50 activities across six days.
What the #25.ART Brasília festival is
#25.ART is the short name for the 25th Encontro Internacional de Arte e Tecnologia. In English that is the International Meeting on Art and Technology.
The meeting sits between art, university research and digital technology. It has now reached its 25th edition.
Media Lab at the Universidade de Brasília (UnB), the federal university in the capital, helps organise it. The two host museums and several other universities run the programme with them.
This year’s theme is called GA.IA. It looks at artificial intelligence (AI), nature and the way the two meet.
Much of the work on show comes from researchers, artists and student groups. You do not need any academic badge to walk in and look.
Two Niemeyer buildings in the monumental centre
The Museu Nacional da República is the white dome on the Esplanada dos Ministérios. Oscar Niemeyer designed it, and it also carries the name Museu Nacional Honestino Guimarães.
A long ramp curls around the outside of the dome. Inside, the main hall is one wide, bare circle with no windows.
That blank room is the reason the museum suits projection and light work. Video and sound pieces fill the space instead of paintings on walls.
SESI Lab is the second venue, a few minutes away in the Setor de Divulgação Cultural. It is an interactive science and technology museum, also housed in a Niemeyer building.
The Rio Times first wrote about plans for a Brasília museum of art, science and technology back in 2022. The building now anchors the workshop side of this festival.
More than 50 activities in six days
Organisers list more than 50 activities. The formats include lectures, round tables, performances, exhibitions and video mapping.
The opening day is September 15. It starts in the morning with a lecture by the artist Regina Silveira.
Silveira has also covered the glass front of SESI Lab with a giant cross-stitch pattern in vinyl. Reports put the piece, called Bordaduras, at about 530 square metres.
A video mapping session, listed as 3.ART.videomapping, is set for the evening of the opening day. Light is thrown onto the buildings themselves after dark.
The main group exhibition is EmMeio#18. It opens on September 15 and stays up until October 18, long after the talks finish.
Announced speakers include Lucia Santaella, Casé Angatu Xukuru Tupinambá, Hauke Dorsch, Ive Rubini and Tania Aedo. Their topics run from indigenous knowledge to art and science practice.
Language, price and sign-up
Entry is free at both venues. That covers the lectures, the performances and the exhibitions.
The programme runs mostly in Portuguese. Organisers have not announced English interpretation, so plan for that if your Portuguese is thin.
Some activities ask for a free sign-up on Even3, the event platform Brazilian conferences tend to use. The exhibitions are the easiest part to enjoy with no language at all.
A full session-by-session timetable has not been published in English. Listings so far give days and venues, not clean start times for every item.
If you want a specific talk, check the venues’ own channels on the day. Walking in for the exhibitions needs no plan at all.
Who the #25.ART Brasília programme suits
You do not need to be an artist or a researcher to enjoy this. The exhibitions and the projections work as a normal evening out.
Students and academics get the deeper layer. That side holds paper sessions, workshops and a maker space at SESI Lab.
Families can pair the festival with SESI Lab’s hands-on rooms in the same trip. The dome’s single round hall suits a short, calm visit.
For expats who follow Brazilian art, this is a quieter event than the big museum seasons. Larger shows such as MASP’s Histórias Latino-Americanas in São Paulo draw far bigger crowds.
The trade-off is access. Here you can talk to the people who built the work, often in the same room.
Getting there and what comes next
Both venues sit in the monumental centre, close to each other. Taxis and ride apps reach them quickly from the hotel sectors.
The Central metro station and the main bus platform are within walking distance. The walk across the Esplanada is flat and wide, with no shade.
The in-person days run from September 15 to 18. Both museums are on that stretch of the programme.
The last two days, September 19 and 20, move online. That part is listed as free as well, and it also runs in Portuguese.
After the closing, EmMeio#18 keeps the work visible until October 18. Late arrivals in the capital still get a second chance at the work.
More: Brazil news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is #25.ART in Brasília in 2026?
The 25th Encontro Internacional de Arte e Tecnologia runs from September 15 to 20, 2026. The in-person days are September 15 to 18.
Is the Brasília art and technology festival free?
Yes. Entry is free at both venues, although some activities ask for a free sign-up on the Even3 platform.
Where is #25.ART held in Brasília?
At the Museu Nacional da República and at SESI Lab, both in the monumental centre of Brasília, Brazil.
Is the programme in English?
Reports describe a Portuguese-language programme. Organisers have not announced English interpretation, so treat the talks as Portuguese-only.
Sources: Agência Brasil, Correio Braziliense, Glau na Capital (programme and speakers), Misto Brasil (Bordaduras), Portal da Indústria, Museu Nacional da República and SESI Lab listings.
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