Coolturalia

Don’t just like it, live it!

11 – 13 February

Chiara Bersani — Sottobosco

Performances

Pavillon ADC

Choreographer Chiara Bersani invites the audience into the undergrowth of an imagined forest, performed in duo with dancer Elena Sgarbossa and a group of workshop participants. The piece stages bodies limited by disability to probe movement, survival and collective care. Inspired by confinement and the inequalities revealed by the pandemic, it turns the stage into an ecosystem — a vibrating floor, layered soundscape and a shared spatial attention — where small gestures, bodily memory and vulnerability become transformative forces and the basis for a newly imagined community.

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Friday 13 February, 19:30

China National Traditional Orchestra

Performances

Victoria Hall

Under the direction of conductor Liu Cha, the China National Traditional Orchestra presents a program that spans orchestral suites and intimate concertos. Soloists Li Chao (erhu), Zhang Jiali (guanzi) and Dong Xiaolin (pipa) bring virtuosic lyricism to works by Liu Tianhua, Tan Dun and Guo Wenjing, among others. Textures shift between shimmering plucked strings, piercing wind colors and resonant percussion, creating a ritual, cinematic sound world. The evening traces tradition and modernity through instrumental dialogue and vivid sonic contrasts.

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Friday 13 February, 19:30

Antigel Festival – Anna von Hausswolff

Performances

Alhambra

Presented by Antigel Festival, Anna von Hausswolff transforms organ and voice into a monumental, cathedral-like soundscape. Her magnetic presence blends gothic fervour and dark rock vertigo, where sacred solemnity meets obscure trance. The performance unfolds as ritual, with thunderous organ textures and a voice that soars from whisper to roar, creating immersive sonic catharses. Sparse electronic and resonant tones sculpt tense atmospheres, guiding listeners through hypnotic passages and intense emotional release.

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11 – 22 February

Le rire, le désir et la fête contre la mort

Art & Exhibits

Usine Kugler

Véronique Déthiollaz and Guy Schibler present a dialogue between drawing and photography that confronts mortality through laughter, desire and celebration. Déthiollaz’s graphite, occasional pastel and ink drawings deploy ironic, grotesque figuration—mocking skeletons and humbled reapers—while Schibler’s photographic series documents funerary sculpture and cemetery vistas that reveal provocative sensuality. Together the works probe how humour, eroticism and festivity resist oblivion, refusing pain through visual excess and theatricality, and interrogate cultural attitudes toward death, embodiment and memory.

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Friday 13 February, 20:00

Antigel Festival : Bombino

Performances

Salle Grand-Salève

Bombino’s guitar conjures Sahara skies in a hypnotic blend of blues and desert rock. The Tuareg virtuoso merges ancient melodies and electric surges, alternating celestial ballads and thunderous riffs that carry themes of freedom and unity. Grammy-nominated and a longtime collaborator of Dan Auerbach, he shapes expansive soundscapes that feel both intimate and vast. Presented within Antigel, the performance creates a raw, luminous atmosphere where wind, sand and rhythm translate into a universal musical journey.

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Friday 13 February, 21:00

Christoph Grab’s Shape & Form ensemble

Performances

AMR

On Season 25–26, Christoph Grab’s SHAPE & FORM ensemble sculpts music that breathes, born of motifs and intervals and full of sudden changes. Without fixed chords, a linear, wandering harmony carries collective improvisation: alto and tenor saxophones (Christoph Grab), trumpet (Lina Allemano), piano (Matthieu Mazué), double bass (Christian Weber) and drums (Dieter Ulrich). Between jazz, contemporary-classical colours and pulsating rhythms, the group builds a dense, open sound space where structure and spontaneity evolve in equal measure.

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6 – 15 February

My Parents’ Cabaret

Performances

Performances

Salle Grand-Salève

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Friday 13 February, 21:00

Christoph Grab’s Shape & Form ensemble

Performances

AMR

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Saturday 14 February, 10:00, 11:30 & 14:30

Dragon Party

Kids

Musée Ariana

Listen to a Chinese tale, then create a paper dragon bursting with bright colors. Sit close to hear the storyteller’s warm voice as the dragon’s shapes and movements come alive. Decorate, fold and assemble your dragon from paper, giving it a long body to wave and twirl. Feel the paper rustle, see the bright colors, and let your dragon dance in your hands, sparking curiosity and playful creativity.

In French. Kids ages 2–4.

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Saturday 14 February, 13:00

Collective Imagination

Lectures & Workshops

Théâtre du Loup

A workshop of imagination, based on the fictional universe of Bâtir aussi — a collective work published by Cambourakis in 2018 — invites participants into the alternate history of the Haraka, a social movement that began with the Arab Spring in 2011 and spread to uprisings around the world.

Through small and large group discussions, this is a collective moment of exploration and experimentation, guided by two facilitators. The Labo Fiction / Antémonde Workshops offer a space to craft hopeful, feminist, and critical imaginaries that challenge the techno-industrial complex.

In French.

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10 – 22 February

Laisse béton (merci Renaud)

Performances

Théâtre du Loup

In early January 2022, two construction vehicles belonging to a Swiss multinational were set on fire at a gravel pit in the Geneva countryside. Over a year later, a young man — referred to as Jérémy — was arrested and suspected of involvement in the arson. Held in pre-trial detention, he was released after more than three months, following strong public support and mobilization.

In French.

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13 & 14 February

Danse en l’Île — Festival Jeunes Ballet

Performances

BFM

Danse en l’Île — the fifth edition of the International Young Ballets Festival brings together five European companies and over 80 young dancers in a programme of contemporary choreography. Works by Ohad Naharin, Alba Castillo, Edouard Hue, Johan Inger, Ben Duke, Oona Doherty, Ed Wubbe, Stephen Shropshire and Andrea Costanzo Martini alternate virtuosic ensemble passages with intimate solo moments, exploring physical intensity, abrupt dynamics and theatrical contrast.

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Saturday 14 February, 13:00

Wintering Birds – Panda Club Outing (WWF Geneva)

Kids Outdoor

Plage des Eaux-Vives

Join us for birdwatching on Lake Geneva and discover a variety of water bird species using binoculars.

In French. Kids ages 6 – 12.

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11 – 22 February

Simple Machines

Performances

Théâtre des Marionnettes

Choreographer Ugo Dehaes replaces his human troupe with extravagant robot-dancers endowed with an artificial intelligence that invents their own choreography. Intimate and unsettling, the performance invites the audience to sit around a table as the mechanised performers execute an uncanny, rhythmic ballet. Marie Peeters’ dramaturgy frames questions about labour, profit and the place of culture, while Wannes Deneer’s scenography and musical composition shape a tactile, immersive atmosphere. The piece blends humour, critique and physical precision.

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12 – 22 February

Les Trois Soeurs à Trois

Performances

Théâtre Saint-Gervais

Performances

Salle Grand-Salève

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Friday 13 February, 21:00

Christoph Grab’s Shape & Form ensemble

Performances

AMR

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CoolBytes

Celebrating Geneva’s vibrant heartbeat and the stories shaping culture today

I AM GENEVA – Emmanuel Tagnard

Cultural director of the Société de Lecture, Emmanuel Tagnard shares his Geneva essentials — from must-see landmarks and favorite chocolatiers to the book currently on his bedside table.

I AM GENEVA – Lucia Rochat

Founder of cult eco-soap company The Soap and the Sea, Lucia Rochat, shares her Geneva favorites, from her go-to chocolate to hidden local spots, and the cultural event she wouldn’t miss for anything.

Geneva Classics

Visiting for the first time? A quick guide to the city’s top attractions.

MEG (Musée d’ethnographie de Genève)

The MEG is a renowned museum dedicated to the exploration and presentation of cultural diversity from around the world. Located in the heart of Geneva, it houses an extensive collection of over 80,000 objects, including artifacts, textiles, and artworks that highlight the rich traditions and histories of various communities. The museum emphasizes interactive and immersive exhibitions, engaging visitors with contemporary issues related to culture and identity.

Cool fact: The e-MEG app serves as a digital twin of the permanent exhibition, providing an audio guide and detailed descriptions along with photographs of all displayed objects.

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MAMCO (Museum of Contemporary Art)

– CLOSED FOR RENOVATION –

Since its opening in 1994, the MAMCO Geneva (Musée d’art moderne et contemporain) has staged 450 exhibitions with works dating from the 1960s to the present day. Mamco’s holdings include works by Christo, Martin Kippenberger, Jenny Holzer, Dan Flavin, Sarkis, Franz Erhard Walther and Sylvie Fleury, among many others.

Cool fact: The MAMCO is the epicenter of the “Nuit des Bains”, held three times a year. During this event, the district around the museum is transformed into a large gallery and attracts thousands of art lovers and sightseers each night.

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Ariana Museum

With a collection of 27,000 items from Switzerland, Europe and the Middle and Far East, and a witness to twelve centuries of ceramic art from the Middle Ages to modern times, the Ariana is one of Europe’s great museums specializing in glass and ceramics.

Cool fact: On the first Sunday of each month, the Ariana Museum opens its temporary exhibitions to the public.

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Stay in the loop!

CoolBytes

– CLOSED FOR RENOVATION –

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