5 offseen Exhibitions You Need to Visit in January

by Marianna Reggiani

Every day, somewhere in the world, a new exhibition opens to the public.

Behind each of them stands a network of people—artists, curators, gallerists—working to transform ideas and research into projects that can take part in a broader international conversation.

In a system that feels elitist and closed, rarely welcoming and warm, what remains difficult is finding a sense of belonging: making people feel part of one big ecosystem, made of professionals and creatives that seek connection rather than competition.

Through a monthly selection of five exhibitions drawn from the offseen map, we soften boundaries between countries, languages, and teams, creating one wide space where valuable projects are cherished.

Exhibitions are countless; the world, however, is one.

The Blind Man

66P Subjective Institution of Culture
Wroclaw, Poland–on view until February 21, 2026

“Those who are against fascism without being against capitalism, who lament only the barbarism that comes out of barbarism, are people who want to eat the veal without slaughtering the calf.”
Bertolt Brecht wrote this in an essay published in 1935 under the title “Writing the Truth: Five Difficulties” (the first edition was in German, Dichter sollen die Wahrheit schreiben—“Poets must write the truth”, translated by this article’s author).

The title of Andreea Anghel’s exhibition alludes to the avant-garde magazine published in New York in 1917 by Marcel Duchamp, together with Beatrice Wood and Henri-Pierre Roché. The Polish exhibition is not a homage to Dadaism itself; rather, the artist embraces the openness and audacity of an artistic movement that questioned the reasons for producing art. What for? And for whom?

As stated in the critical text by Paulina Brelińska-Garsztka, “The central theme is ideological blindness—an inner mechanism that enables one to see only what is convenient.” Perhaps for self-defence, perhaps out of a refusal to acknowledge a painful truth, perhaps because of an inexcusable code of silence.
Anghel’s works speak about violence in the public sphere and about the complicity of “moral blindness”; they address the exposure of women who occupy public roles; they speak about a sick form of love that conceals control, territoriality, and a sense of ownership.

The exhibition—and Anghel’s research itself—addresses the social and political anomalies that we struggle so much to acknowledge. By exploring different languages and speaking through a collection of images and objects, Anghel builds a micro-universe in which no answers are given, but many disturbing doubts arise.

“The Blind Man” exhibition views, ph Małgorzata Kujda, Andreea Anghel, courtesy the artist and the gallery;

Pain of Pleasure

Tempesta Gallery
Milan, Italy – on view until February 6, 2026

As we enter a new year in the 21st century, where toxic forms of love are romanticised and mistaken for passionate, we should all be aware that “pleasure” is anything but universal. On the contrary, it is inextricably linked to ambiguity.

In fact, pleasure exists only because pain does, because suffering and absence are part of this world. And sometimes, they coincide with pleasure itself.

The exhibition curated by Domenico de Chirico lingers in the zone where this ambiguity generates the most powerful contrasts, investigating how love cannot be freed from pain and how pleasure cannot be freed from an existential paradox: “a vital force that carries within it the shadow of death.”

It is tension, a twisting and convulsing body, an energetic shock, a search for breath. The strong corporeal dimension of the works on display speaks of the horrendous and wonderful show our bodies perform when we deal with pleasure: how everything is exciting and then immediately falls apart in the span of a few moments. Pleasure alters the sense of time and space: a simple touch, and you are somewhere else, dispersed in the universe.

It can happen that we think living in pain is not so bad after all, because suffering and feeling pleasure have one thing in common: they make us feel alive.

Resistance can be found in feeling emotions, a resistance that manifests through a sensitivity we often fear.

“Pain of Pleasure” exhibition views, ph Sarah Indriolo, courtesy the artist and the gallery;

I’m Half Sick of Shadows

10 documents
Rome, Italy – on view until January 30, 2026

In a time where everything is buyable, sellable, and exchangeable, what happens to love? Is it doomed to become a bargaining chip—or is it already?

“I’m Half Sick of Shadows” is the closing verse of The Lady of Shalott, a poem by Alfred Tennyson, which tells the story of Elaine of Astolat, a noblewoman who falls desperately in love with Lancillotto, King Arthur’s loyal knight. The pain of unrequited love becomes unbearable for her, and she decides to end her suffering by taking her own life.

A tragic and cruel story that reveals the fragility of someone who devotes herself to love completely and unconditionally, showing how frightening love can be.

The works of Davide La Montagna investigate the shadows and silences generated by the affective dimension: an endless tension between love and excruciating pain, between the warmth of a passionate sentiment and the cruel, freezing wind of fear brought by abandonment.

The artist plays with light and shadow, with memory and its violent loss, to explore the “regulation of romantic loss” within the “contemporary economy of emotions.” The exhibition, curated by Ginevra Ludovici, is a cynical reflection on how capitalist society has succeeded in transforming love and affection into measurable, regulable, definable products.

“I’m Half Sick of Shadows” exhibition views, ph Jacopo Rinaldi, courtesy the artist and the gallery;

COMPANION

SIC
Helsinki, Finland – on view until January 25, 2026

Hands, flowers, green vegetables, a frog, the moon, a funny face; Bogna Luiza Wisniewska’s universe starts from the garden: a place where life grows every day without making a sound, where small ecosystems coexist in peace and respect.

A place of creation and resistance, the garden also hides truths and opens to those who can observe with careful, sensitive eyes.

Calling herself “a soft-hearted person,” the Helsinki-based artist speaks different languages—from painting and ceramics to textiles and installation, and even gardening itself. Her alphabet speaks of care, fragility, and queerness, forming a visual text that unfolds as you enter it gently and silently, eager to learn rather than to take.

“I want to be as good a companion as marigolds are…” the artist says. An intention as pure as a child’s cry, deep and profound like a poet’s last words. Marigolds are resistant and adaptable, with orange flowers and green stalks. They can withstand heat and cold, and they don’t require constant care. They brighten up a space without asking anything in return.

With clear and simple intentions, the artist creates a universe of honesty, kindness, and acceptance—all qualities so rare that they can sometimes be frightening.

“COMPANION” exhibition views, ph SIC, courtesy the artist and the gallery;

Mas existe lo que no aparece (What Exists More Is What Does Not Appear)

Satélite
Cordoba, Argentina – on view until March 14, 2026

When you feel like your life is falling apart, the only thing you can do is start from scratch. Take a look around, take a look within yourself, and then wait for the unexpected.

In a way, that’s exactly what the exhibition at Satélite Gallery is about.

Juan Gugger works with materials scavenged from the streets, parks, riverbanks—objects abandoned and discarded because they no longer satisfy the endless need to possess, possess, possess.

Coins, bottle caps, and plastics are transformed into vessels of untold stories and fading memories, brought back to life with delicacy and care. This is what it means to believe in the power of stories: in the ability to tell them and to let them unfold. Some will not speak until you have shown patience, until they know that you truly want to listen.

The objects collected by Gugger begin a new life, freed from the capitalistic logic that drives us to buy more and pay less, to always say yes and never no. They speak through colors, materials, and textures. They invite you to touch them, to understand what they once were before becoming what they are now.

Curated by Mercedes López Moreyra, the exhibition reflects on identity and the sense of freedom that comes from starting over—the freedom that emerges when you thought your life was over.

“Más existe lo que no aparece (What Exists More Is What Does Not Appear)” exhibition views, ph Pablo Javier Martinez, courtesy the artist and the gallery;

Copyrights: the authors, offseen and partnering platforms;

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