Watch the recap of the cultural programme at Osaka World Expo 2025
From April to October 2025, the World Expo took place at Osaka, Japan: a global event where more than 160 countries and organisations are brought together for cultural exchange and cooperation. Nieuwe Instituut was appointed as curator of the cultural programme for the Dutch pavilion, themed Activating Common Ground. Watch the recap video of the lectures, performances, exhibitions, and collaborations that took place within this programme.
18 January 2026
The cultural programme that Nieuwe Instituut developed was themed Activating Common Ground, and comprised an interdisciplinary trajectory that took place over six months in the Dutch Pavilion and elsewhere. The thread running through the programme is the collaboration and exchange between Japanese and Dutch makers and the recognition that culture and identity are not fixed, but emerge from a world full of exchange, interaction, curiosity and dialogue.
Activating Common Ground closing event
On Thursday 22 January, the Nieuwe Instituut and its partners celebrate and reflect on the many inspiring activities that took place during the six-month expo, both in Osaka and across Japan. The evening will feature the presentation of the Activating Common Grounds publication, a performance by the Benjamin Herman Trio, interviews with cultural programme participants about their experiences, and reflections on the numerous collaborations created through the programme, including performances, artworks, and the graphic and spatial design of the Showcases. The event takes place in combination with the opening of the MONO Jan Fair 2026.
Read more and register here.
Nieuwe Instituut's role as curator
Onder Activating Common Ground droeg het Nieuwe Instituut bij aan de betekenis van het overkoepelende thema van het Nederlandse paviljoen, Common Ground. Deze 'gemeenschappelijke grond' ging in op de 425-jarige relatie tussen Nederland en Japan en de betekenis van gezamenlijke waarden en belangen bij het aangaan van wereldwijde uitdagingen als klimaatverandering, energietransitie, voedselzekerheid en wereldgezondheid.
With Activating Common Ground, the Nieuwe Instituut contributed to the Dutch Pavilion’s overarching theme Common Ground: the 425-year relationship between the Netherlands and Japan and the importance of shared values and interests in tackling global challenges such as climate change, the energy transition, food security and global health.
