[PODCAST] Predictions for 2026 with William Powhida
We're kicking off 2026 with artist William Powhida, whose 2017 work After the Contemporary predicted the future of art with unsettling accuracy. From the NEA closure to resource wars to Miami flooding, his satirical timeline keeps proving prescient. We discuss what he got right, what he missed (AI, influencers), and his predictions for 2026—including the rise of the "haute garde," the gambling-ification of culture, and why flexible pricing models might finally give artists more agency.
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Podcast Episode 104:
You are listening to the Art Problems Podcast, episode 104. I'm your host, Paddy Johnson. This is the podcast where we talk about how to get more shows, grants, and residencies. We’re kicking off 2026 with predictions for the art world, and I can’t think of a better person to do this with than the artist William Powhida.
Back in 2017, William created a work called After the Contemporary for the Aldrich Museum, a speculative timeline filled with predictions about art, politics, and culture from 2017 through 2050. What’s remarkable about revisiting this work now is how many of his predictions either came true or remain eerily relevant.
Russia invading Ukraine. The closure of the NEA. Resource wars. The final days of Art Basel Miami. It’s all there. In this conversation, we walk through what William got right, what he missed, and what we should be watching for in 2026.
We talk about the rise of the hot guard, artists who fully embrace ruling-class values, the culture of gambling that has seeped into everything, AI’s growing presence in art and culture, and why flexible pricing might give artists more agency over their careers.
This one is a bit of a marathon, but it is well worth it. Let’s dive in.
Paddy Johnson: William, welcome to the show.
William Powhida: Thanks for having me. It’s good to see you.
Paddy Johnson: Happy New Year. You’re here to talk about predictions for the art world for 2026 and beyond. One of the reasons I wanted to have you on is your work After the Contemporary, which included a speculative timeline filled with predictions. Sadly, many of them feel extremely relevant today.
Before we get going, can you talk about that work, the drawing, the show, and the concept behind it so we have a foundation for our discussion?
William Powhida: I’m happy to. The show came out of an invitation by Richard Klein after my 2015 exhibition at Postmasters called Over Culture. I started thinking about the project in 2015, and it developed into a speculative, near-future sci-fi satire critiquing the contemporary period.
The timeline drawing looks at the period of the contemporary, defined within the fiction of the show as 2000 to 2025. The exhibition also included a fictional gallery called Greski, and a final section imagining my retreat from the art world to Costa Rica to make expressionist paintings.
Paddy Johnson: One thing that struck me was how many predictions felt ahead of their time. For example, Russia invading Ukraine, the NEA closing, resource wars, and the idea of Art Basel Miami ending.
William Powhida: The show was satirical and exaggerated, but it was grounded in observing trends already in motion. Speculative fiction is often about commenting on the present and projecting where those conditions might lead.
What’s frightening is how much worse some of these trajectories have become, especially around climate denial, militarization, and resource extraction.
Paddy Johnson: One thing that wasn’t on the timeline was AI. How do you see AI shaping the art world in 2026?
William Powhida: AI is one of the biggest things I didn’t foresee. The convergence of AI, drones, and military applications is deeply unsettling. In art, there’s a real push to replace human labor with AI-generated imagery, and that has profound implications for artists.
There’s also a cultural fatigue with hyper-visible, algorithm-driven content. I think we’ll see more private conversations, smaller networks, and resistance to broadcast culture.
Paddy Johnson: We also talked about gambling culture becoming pervasive. Do you see that affecting art?
William Powhida: Absolutely. The art market has always been speculative, but now that logic has spread everywhere. Everything feels like a bet—artists, exhibitions, trends. That instability encourages short-term thinking and rapid trend turnover.
Paddy Johnson: Before we wrap up, are there opportunities for artists amid all this uncertainty?
William Powhida: Yes. Artists still have agency, especially when they rethink distribution, pricing, and where art lives. Flexible pricing, alternative contracts, and community-based exchanges can offer real possibilities outside traditional gallery models.
Paddy Johnson: I think that’s a hopeful place to end. Thank you so much for this conversation.
William Powhida: Thank you. This was great.
Thank you for listening. If you like the show, please leave a review and share it with a friend. You can find all referenced names and links at berksshop.art/podcast.
Paddy
