From London to Miami, Serpentine unveiled bold initiatives shaping the future of contemporary art.
During Art Basel Miami Beach, the Serpentine Americas Foundation and Serpentine Council hosted their annual VIP brunch at Casa Tua, bringing together artists, patrons, and longtime supporters of the London institution. Held on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, the event offered a rare pause amid the intensity of Miami Art Week.
Bettina Korek, Chief Executive Officer of Serpentine, and Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director, welcomed guests alongside hosts Ted Vassilev and Simona Vassilev. Among those in attendance were Glenn Fuhrman, Amanda Fuhrman, Jon Rider, JR, Hank Willis Thomas, Leo Castaneda, Jewel, Larry Ossei-Mensah, and Shaun Regen, creating a room of influential figures in contemporary art.
The Serpentine x FLAG Art Foundation Prize
That evening, Serpentine and The FLAG Art Foundation unveiled the Serpentine x FLAG Art Foundation Prize, a bold initiative supporting artists worldwide. Over the next decade, a total of £1 million will be awarded biennially, with £200,000 granted to each of five artists. This represents the largest contemporary art prize in the United Kingdom awarded to a single artist.
Awardees will stage solo exhibitions premiering at Serpentine in London and then traveling to The FLAG Art Foundation in New York. The first artist will be selected in 2026, with the inaugural exhibition opening in Autumn 2027 in London and continuing in New York in Spring 2028. Each presentation will be accompanied by a catalogue and a live programme developed collaboratively by both institutions.
The partnership reflects a shared commitment to artistic experimentation and cross-border exchange. It underscores both institutions’ belief in the power of collaboration to shape the future of contemporary art.
Serpentine 2026 Programme
Guests also learned about Serpentine’s 2026 programme, highlighting four major projects: solo exhibitions by David Hockney, Cecily Brown, Amar Kanwar, and the 25th Serpentine Pavilion, celebrating the architectural lineage that began with Dame Zaha Hadid in 2000.
The programme continues Serpentine’s tradition of presenting intergenerational artists whose practices expand the boundaries of medium and form. These exhibitions will respond to technological innovation and foster new connections between artists and audiences. With its location in The Royal Parks, Serpentine ensures contemporary art remains accessible and integrated into daily life.
Currently on View at Serpentine
Peter Doig: House of Music, on view until 8 February 2026, transforms the gallery into a multi-sensory environment. Recent paintings are paired with sound broadcast through rare, restored analogue speakers, including 1950s Klangfilm Euronor models. Visitors are invited to pause, linger, and immerse themselves in art and music.
Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley: The Delusion, on view until 18 January 2026, is the most ambitious project to date by the London- and Berlin-based British artist and game designer. It features a multiplayer video game commission that explores polarisation, censorship, and social connection through interactive digital environments.
Esther Mahlangu, on view until 31 March 2026, presents Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu in the garden at Serpentine North. Her first public mural in the United Kingdom spans sixteen wooden panels and draws on the geometric visual language of matrilineal Ndebele culture. Dr Esther Mahlangu has been creating large-scale, site-specific works for over eight decades, beginning at age ten under the guidance of her mother and grandmother.
Public art by Giuseppe Penone, Albero folgorato (Thunderstruck Tree, 2012), remains on view until March 2026. The sculpture depicts a willow struck by lightning, cast in bronze and lined with gold leaf to reveal the invisible forces of nature that shape both its interior and exterior forms.
The evening and its announcements reaffirmed Serpentine’s role as a cultural convenor and an institution committed to long-term artistic dialogue across borders.
