Monographs and Edited Volumes

Exhibition Ecologies: Art, Institutions, and the Politics of Ecological Crisis

Edited by Regine Ehleiter and Friederike Schäfer. Forthcoming with De Gruyter in July 2026. Developed out of the working group Exhibition Ecologies, this edited volume examines how exhibitions are shaped by ecological questions, institutional structures, and political frameworks.

Exhibition Ecologies approaches exhibitions as ecological media, shaped by infrastructures, economies, and relations of power. Bringing together art-historical essays and curatorial reflections, this volume explores how exhibitions respond to the climate crisis while showing how ecological narratives intersect with colonial legacies, extractivism, and the rhetorics of legitimation. Case studies – from museum collection displays to contemporary biennials – probe the ecological framing of exhibitions, opening debates on sustainability, decolonial justice, and institutional responsibility. Linking exhibition studies with environmental humanities, this book highlights both the risks of co-option and the transformative potential of exhibitions.