Meer | English edition

Wednesday, July 8, 2026

Young adults are absorbed in their smartphones, sharing the same space but not engaging in conversation

A young woman records a podcast in her home studio, speaking into a microphone while monitoring content on her laptop, with a whiteboard visible in the background

Smartly dressed professionals walk past a modern glass office building, absorbed in their smartphones and seemingly disconnected from the people around them

A group of young people scroll through their phones, illustrating how digital devices can replace face-to-face interaction

A young Asian content creator hosts a podcast from her home studio, engaging with her audience through a microphone and laptop setup

Economy & Politics

The return to reality in a changing world

Why attention, community, and human connection matter in the age of algorithms

Citizens moving forward beneath American flags, symbolizing a collective journey toward a brighter future

Economy & Politics

America’s dark night

Is the United States ready to emerge from its spiritual crisis?

A colorful sign stands prominently in front of the historic Convento de San Bernardino de Siena, showcasing the picturesque town that captivates visitors with its riotously colorful streets and rich history

Not your average pitstop: Valladolid, Mexico

Hidden depths and ancient wonders in the heart of Yucatan

Devotees releasing glowing plates of offerings into the Ganges at night, reflecting a timeless act of faith and reverence

India’s timeless spiritual journey

A look at ashrams, sacred sites, and soulful traditions

On the Street

A realistic Y2K-inspired fashion portrait, blending metallic textures, urban attitude, and early-2000s nostalgia into a bold contemporary look

The Y2K aesthetic and the return of the minimal body

How the aesthetics of the 2000s rehabilitate a dangerous body ideal

An individual holds a plant root in their hand

Redefining our relationship with food

A bespectacled DJ spins mesmerizing beats, while the man beside him dances with unbridledly

A history of the DJ

Shifts in practice, culture, and vocation over the years

The nature of information

Science & Technology

Computers cannot be conscious

The fundamental differences between human and computer intelligence

A healthy mouth means much more than beauty: it means health

Holistic vision and technical excellence

An interview with the dentist Sameer Patel

Silhouette of a person standing by neon lights at night

Map of your head

Architecture & Design

A parametric architectural space where complex geometry shapes both form and experience

Parametric design and the question of function

Rethinking the balance between algorithmic aesthetics and human-centered performance in contemporary design

A contemporary airport terminal where architecture, daylight, and greenery come together to create a calm, intuitive, and human-centered travel environment

Designing the airport for the human journey

How user-centered architecture is reshaping travel experiences

Art

The bottom tier depicts gods seated on their respective vahanas, while the upper tier features a band of musicians playing instruments, Virupaksha Temple, Hampi, India

The ceiling murals of Virupaksha Temple

How myth, kingship, and devotion were immortalized in Hampi’s 16th-century temple art

Sustainability Award for my final exhibition, photo by Denisa Ilie, featuring indigo-dyed, upcycled textile collections alongside Jade Guiraud’s guidebook Footprints in the Fells and Louise Keddy’s steel structures

The contemporary art market as oligopoly

Concentration, gatekeeping, and institutional power leave most artists subsidizing a system that rewards only a select few

Culture

A close-up of beadwork worn by a woman, representing cultural identity and personal history

South Sudanese beading: the language of glass and bone

How the intricate art of South Sudanese beading reflects identity, rites of passage, and cultural continuity

A quiet moment of reflection where mathematics and philosophy converge—logic, doubt, and reasoning unfolding in a solitary search for understanding

Two sides of the same coin

How mathematics and philosophy meet in logic, doubt, and understanding

Economy & Politics

The U.S. Supreme Court building serving as a pillar of justice, reflecting the stability and legitimacy of a well-ordered legal system

The foundations of Universal Princonser Law

How the interaction between legal values and legal structures forms the basis of a new legal paradigm

A young couple overlooking a dense urban skyline reflects the uncertainty many younger generations feel about building families amid economic pressure, environmental anxiety, and an increasingly unpredictable future

The economics of having children

Why falling birth rates reveal deeper failures in housing, work, gender equality, and climate policy

Entertainment

Frieren from Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End drifting peacefully through still waters, symbolising the melancholic beauty that defines contemporary fantasy anime

Why 2026 could redefine anime forever

How reboots, long-awaited sequels and risky new adaptations are colliding to create one of anime’s most exciting years ever

The Pitt is an American medical drama created by R. Scott Gemmill and executive produced by John Wells and Noah Wyle, reuniting the creative team behind ER

The best shows of early 2026

From animated heartbreak to hospital drama, these five series define the year so far

Fashion

Glenn Martens is a Belgian fashion designer who began his career as a junior designer at Jean Paul Gaultier, working on the women’s pre-collection and the menswear line G2

Diesel and the aesthetics of ruin

How shredded denim, industrial decay, and Glenn Martens redefine success, identity, and beauty in a post industrial fashion landscape

An Allegory of the Tudor Succession: The Family of Henry VIII

Power, spectacle, and the Tudor silhouette

How the theatrical fashion of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I continues to shape modern ideas of authority, excess, and visual dominance

Feature

A father and son sit across from each other in silence, their tension shaped by control, performance, and the unseen weight of being watched

Puppets without strings

In a world without scripts, the truth becomes the most dangerous act

Hands joined around a fresh coconut under sunlit palms, symbolising loyalty that survived time and separation

A story of how a Vietnamese refugee and a Filipino coconut seller find connection and hope in the unlikeliest of places

Food & Wine

Bariva wrapped in banana leaves, a cherished symbol of identity and heritage in Papua New Guinea's Rigo district, embodying centuries of tradition and community pride

Bariva: traditional dish of Papua New Guinea's Rigo district

Explore the heritage and preparation of Bariva, a symbol of unity and culinary artistry

Tongba is a millet-based alcoholic beverage found in the eastern mountainous region of Nepal

Tongba is not a drink

On warmth, patience, and the quiet ritual of fermented millet in the Himalayan cold

Science & Technology

An adult gently supports a sore knee, illustrating the everyday reality of joint strain and the growing interest in glucosamine for long-term joint support

The knees know: glucosamine explained

A practical and lightly humorous look at how this widely used supplement supports cartilage, mobility, and long-term knee comfort

White-breasted Waterhens preparing to fight (c) Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne

Morning voices at Diyasaru

An immersive journey through the layered calls and hidden lives of a tropical wetland

Sport

A young footballer silhouetted against the evening sky with a ball at their feet, representing dreams that reach far beyond the horizon

A 12-year-old's road to the World Cup

Your roadmap from wherever you are right now to the Saudi Arabia 2034 Football World Cup

Origen won the League of Legends event at IEM 2015 San Jose, part of Intel Extreme Masters Season X, held on November 21–22, 2015, in San Jose, California, United States

The psychology behind esports performance

How mental training shapes focus, resilience, and success

Travel

Desroches Island, also known as Île Desroches, is the principal island of the Amirante group within the Outer Islands of Seychelles. Located approximately 227 kilometres southwest of the capital, Victoria, the coral island stretches about 5.5 kilometres in length and covers an area of roughly 4.027 square kilometres

Desroches Island and the architecture of remoteness

Isolation, repetition, and controlled paradise in the outer reaches of the Seychelles

A woman stands on a bridge, studying a map as she plans her next destination

How I experience the world through learning

They say travel costs money—but I’ve found it really just takes a little courage, a stable Wi-Fi connection, and a story worth telling

Wellness

A quiet moment of reflection, where warmth, stillness, and self-awareness come together—reminding us that clarity and healing begin within

You cannot automate humanity

The dangerous rise of AI in life coaching and the quiet erosion of genuine human connection

Digital art–style illustration depicting mental health struggles, overwhelm, and notification chaos

Mental minimalism: the psychology of simplicity

Why reducing cognitive load expands consciousness

Explore the Calendar

Worldwide Washington Málaga Paris St Petersburg Nuremberg Krakow Los Angeles Ottawa Seoul Amsterdam Curitiba Vienna London Leipzig Lausanne Santiago Basel Lisbon Copenhagen Pittsburgh Sofia Vilnius

Joan Miró, Gaudí XIII, (detail) 1979. Courtesy of Casa Batlló
Contemporary. Fundació Joan
Miró, Barcelona © Successió Miró, 2026

Gaudí-Miró-Gomis: deconstructed

8 Jul 2026 — 10 Jan 2027 at the Casa Batlló Contemporary in Barcelona, Spain

Thaier Helal, Essence 4 (detail), 2021. Courtesy of Ayyam Gallery

Tangerine dreams

8 Jul — 18 Sep 2026 at the Ayyam Gallery in London, United Kingdom

Jamal Bassiouni, The encounter of silence (detail), 2026. Courtesy of Artbooth Gallery

9 Jul — 31 Aug 2026 at the Artbooth Gallery in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Kim Bartelt, Break even (detail), 2026. Courtesy of Arden + White Gallery

9 — 31 Jul 2026 at the Arden + White Gallery in New Canaan, United States

Ailsa Wong, The tides of night (detail). Courtesy of Sin Sin Fine Art

10 Jul — 12 Sep 2026 at the Sin Sin Fine Art in Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Anna Maria Tsakali, Eden (detail), 2025. Courtesy of Kalfayan Galleries

From chaos to cosmos

10 Jul — 23 Aug 2026 at the Cultural Foundation of Tinos in Tinos, Greece

Stuart Elliott, Mauve dump D (detail), 2025. Courtesy of Art Collective WA

11 Jul — 8 Aug 2026 at the Art Collective WA in Perth, Australia

Rachel Coad, Super eighteen (detail), 2026. Courtesy of Art Collective WA

Rachel Coad. Time

11 Jul — 8 Aug 2026 at the Art Collective WA in Perth, Australia

Laura Caetano, altarpiece (Santa Lúcia e São Sebastião), 2026. Courtesy of Balcony Contemporary Art Gallery

11 Jul — 19 Sep 2026 at the Balcony Contemporary Art Gallery in Lisbon, Portugal

Printer: Brüder Kohn, designer: Martha Alber, New year greeting (detail), c. 1910–11. Courtesy of the Jewish Museum

Modernity and opulence: women of the Wiener Werkstätte

17 Jul — 15 Nov 2026 at The Jewish Museum in New York, United States

Farah Billah, The table, with friends (detail), 2026. Courtesy of Ogden Museum of Southern Art

Louisiana contemporary

1 Aug 2026 — 14 Feb 2027 at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans, United States

Billy Schenck, Gratuitous violence (detail). Courtesy of JoAnne Artman Gallery

Technicolor west

1 Sep — 31 Oct 2026 at the JoAnne Artman Gallery in Laguna Beach, United States

Ellen Bradshaw, Spring fever, 10th Ave and 25th Sta (detail). Courtesy of Pleiades Gallery

Every street has a story

8 Sep — 3 Oct 2026 at the Pleiades Gallery in New York, United States

Trompe-l’oeil knowledge, Korea (18th-20th century), exhibition view. Courtesy of Musée Guimet

Trompe-l’oeil knowledge, Korea (18th-20th century)

16 Sep 2026 — 4 Jan 2027 at the Musée Guimet in Paris, France

Keerthana Kunnath, Not what you saw. Courtesy of Foam

Not what you saw

18 Sep — 27 Nov 2026 at the Foam in Amsterdam, Netherlands

Relic of the so-called staff of Moses, mediterranean region. Courtesy of the Jewish Museum

Sacred splendor

18 Sep 2026 — 7 Feb 2027 at The Jewish Museum in New York, United States

Franz Gertsch, Patti Smith I (detail), 1978. Courtesy of Museum Franz Gertsch

Franz Gertsch. Blow-up (Part II)

19 Sep 2026 — 28 Feb 2027 at the Museum Franz Gertsch in Burgdorf, Switzerland

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