Get ready for the multisensory, tech-driven art experience Aurora Biennial 2026, which has expanded to 18 days across Dallas-Fort Worth.

The event will culminate Nov. 21 with an outdoor experiential art exhibition displayed across Dallas City Hall, the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library and the AT&T Discovery District. Admission is free.

With the theme of “States of Becoming,” Aurora Biennial 2026 will offer programs, workshops and performances Nov. 4-21. Most of the events will be in Dallas and a handful in Fort Worth. Events include artist talks, studio tours and public art exhibits, plus sound, light, music and dance performances.

The 2024 Aurora Biennial lasted only one day.

Exploring art, technology and community

Aurora, a Dallas-based public arts nonprofit founded in 2010, works at the intersection of art, technology and community. Joshua King, Aurora’s co-founder and executive director, told Dallas Innovates the expanded format helps broaden the event’s impact.

The digital art installation “Chyron” by artist Daniel Canogar is projected across the outside of Dallas City Hall during the 2024 Aurora Biennial exhibition. [Photo: Can Turkyilmaz]

“With adding the different talks, presentations and performances, we are creating a moment that opens the doors for a deeper dialogue and more intimate connection to the artists who are shaping a global conversation on the evolving relationship between art, technology and our society,” King said.

Art curators Tairone Bastien of Toronto and Julia Kaganskiy of New York City chose the 2026 theme, “States of Becoming,” after visiting with regional artists, city leaders and community members, King said. A grant from the National Endowment for the Arts supported their work.

This year’s event seeks to address overarching questions about the future of DFW artists.

“Can cultural tourism also support the residents of the city? How do we leave no one behind, and what are we all becoming?” King said.

Art outside museum walls

At its core, Aurora aims to expose more people to art.

Artist Alejandro Almanza Pereda’s video “A Glass of Fruit” is projected on the facade of Dallas City Hall during the 2024 Aurora Biennial. [Photo: Can Turkyilmaz]

“Art shouldn’t be limited to people who already know where to find it,” Dallas artist Shane Pennington, co-founder of Aurora, said in a statement. “Aurora has always believed that museum-caliber art can — and should — exist outside museum walls. By bringing artists and their ideas into public spaces, we can reach people where they are and create opportunities for discovery, curiosity and connection.”

The exhibition features 27 regional, national and international artists, including New York City’s Trevor Paglen. Dallas participants include Diana Rojas, Eric Trich, Tramaine Townsend, Illeana Sisk and the duo Melanie Clemmons and Zak Loyd.

Spotlight on Dallas City Hall

Dallas City Hall, which opened in 1978, acts as an Aurora host at a critical time for the I.M. Pei-designed landmark. City officials are weighing whether to renovate, repurpose or demolish and rebuild it.

“Aurora has always been interested in what happens when art enters public space and gives people a reason to look at their city differently,” King said. “There may be no more powerful example of that right now than Dallas City Hall. There is a very real conversation happening about what this building — and this part of downtown — should become.”

“We see art as a way to open that conversation up, not to tell people what to think,” he said, “but to create a space where people can experience, question and imagine together.”