Convivium. Food Systems at the Limit

British Blue sire, Mezőhegyes, Hungary, 2022. © Dániel Szalai

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Convivium. Food Systems at the Limit

02 April 2026

How does our global food supply system work? An exhibition at the Technical University of Munich shows just how closely production, distribution and consumption are connected.

From 23 April to 18 October 2026, the Architekturmuseum der Technischen Universität München (TUM) will present the exhibition “Convivium. Food Systems at the Limit”, which examines the ecological, political and economic conditions of our food system.

The central question is how a growing global population can be fairly provided for within a system that is coming under increasing pressure. Climate change, resource scarcity and global interdependencies make it clear that existing structures are reaching their limits.

Across twelve sections, the exhibition illustrates how food is produced, processed and distributed today. The focus is on Europe, but is continually linked to global contexts. It highlights not only the technical and spatial foundations of food production, but also the challenges this poses for the future.

Farm worker at the circular milking barn, Dairy Campus Leeuwarden, the Netherlands.Photo: Nicole Humiński, Nikolai Huber, © A.M.

According to the Italian National Research Council, 70% of Sicily is at risk of desertification due to climate change© Jean-Marc Caimi and Valentina Piccinni

Protest camp in Brasília against PEC 215, a proposed constitutional amendment in Brazil that threatened Indigenous land rights in favour of agribusiness. National Indigenous Mobilization, Brasília, Brazil, 2015.© Giulia Bruno

A fishing vessel departing from the Portuguese village of Angeiras, 2025.© Neftalí Sillero

Aerial view of Tascosa Feed Yard in Bushland, Texas, showing the vast, grid-like layout of one of the High Plains’ large cattle feeding operations. Google Earth, Airbus, Maxar Technologies, 2025.

Interconnections and Consequences

The examples presented highlight just how heavily food systems depend on international networks and how vulnerable they have become. Overfishing, soil degradation and rising emissions are closely linked to patterns of production and consumption. At the same time, food production itself contributes to the worsening of the climate crisis.

Curated by Andjelka Badnjar and Andres Lepik, the exhibition brings together contributions from architecture, design and research. A publication complements the exhibition by offering different perspectives and deepening the exploration of the interplay between politics, landscape and food production.