Whispers of Consciousness Art Exhibition at the Wealth & Family Office Forum 2026

"All art intuitively apprehends coming changes in the collective unconsciousness." — Carl Gustav Jung

On 20 January 2026, during the second day of the World Economic Forum in Davos 2026, the Wealth & Family Office Forum introduced a powerful new dimension to its programme: the Art Room, featuring the exhibition Whispers of Consciousness, which I had the privilege of curating and contributing to as an artist.

This initiative emerged from the vision of Alain Bindels, Founder and CEO of the Basel Investor Forum, who says “artists are the philosophers of our times." For Bindels, creativity and culture are not peripheral to economic or political decision-making. They are essential instruments for navigating a fractured world, tools that foster dialogue, empathy, and innovation at a time when trust, attention, and collaboration are under strain.

Art as a Strategic Language

Art has superpowers. It anticipates, transforms, and announces this transformation in a language that is subliminal, in a language that transcends all spoken languages.

In shaping the conceptual framework of Whispers of Consciousness, I approached the exhibition as a space for attentive presence within a high-intensity global forum. When planning the 2026 edition, Alain invited a group of artists and cultural practitioners whose work engages deeply with questions of consciousness, responsibility, and relational awareness: 

·Sasha Huber, & Clifton Mahangoe,  & Mariia Plekhova, & Paula Marcondes de Souza & Anka Manshusen,  represented by visionary art consultant Petra Becker (International Art Bridge)

 Inspired by Alain’s vision, all participants accepted the invitation, and the Art Room took shape as a contemplative counterpoint to the fast-paced environment of Davos. In my curatorial text, I framed Whispers of Consciousness as an exhibition aligned with the Forum’s mission of cultivating trust and awareness within complexity, not through spectacle but through subtle shifts in attention.

Listening as an Active Practice

I invited participants to attend to what is subtle, overlooked, or easily lost amid accelerating connectivity and growing polarization. I positioned listening as an active and ethical practice, one that cultivates presence, trust, and meaning within constantly evolving systems.

Rather than offering explanations or solutions, the exhibition approached consciousness as relational. The works created moments where attention could deepen and perception might shift through photography, painting, installation, video, and virtual reality, exploring experiential, technological, ecological, and social dimensions of awareness.

The Artists and Their Voices

Anka Manshusen’s Frequency Artwork operates on a subtle perceptual register. Through light, abstraction, and compositional precision, her work establishes a quiet field of resonance and coherence, an experience of inner alignment that unfolds beyond intellectual interpretation.

Petra Becker, who represents Anka Manshusen, reflected: "Showing the high-frequency artworks of the artist Anka Manshusen, whom I represent, in Davos, as well as the Frequency Life Cards, clearly demonstrated the powerful energetic quality of these works and their ability to transform spaces. We had the privilege of exhibiting the artworks at the Natural History Museum in Davos. Historic buildings carry many layers of energy, and it was truly wonderful to witness how these energies can be transformed for our present time through such extraordinary artworks, creating new energetic fields for gatherings such as those during the Basel Investor Forum. I would be very happy to hear how this art and its energy were perceived and received by others."

Sasha Huber’s portraits frame listening as an ethical act of witnessing. By naming and commemorating women affected by gender-based violence, her work confronts silence and erasure, emphasizing that healing and trust require recognition, accountability, and care.

Mariia Plekhova reflected: "My practice centers on shared presence and collective continuity. My VR installation evolves through the gestures of participants, making visible how individual actions accumulate and leave lasting traces within collective systems. My paintings extend this inquiry through material reflections on stillness, duration, and time."

Clifton Mahangoe reflected: "It was a sacred opportunity to connect with fellow artists and their light. Davos felt like a place where shadow and silence lingered, and where light was quietly being called forth. This gathering was allowed to emerge. It was a privilege to be part of it. My art moves between light and hope, seeking to gently awaken many souls and to remind them of the luminous presence already within."

Paula Marcondes contributed two works from her Childhood Games Series examine fragments of physical and digital environments to explore the phygital threshold where these realms intersect. Through moments of rupture and multiplicity, the works propose mindful presence and renewed human connection as conscious choices rather than passive outcomes.

A Call to Conscious Leadership

Together, the works in Whispers of Consciousness proposed consciousness not as an abstract idea but as a cultivated state of being, formed through listening, presence, and relationship.

In a world undergoing profound transformation, the exhibition invited reflection on how awareness can inform responsibility at individual, organizational, and systemic levels.

Note: This article was written and curated by Paula Marcondes. Quotes from Mariia Plekhova, Clifton Mahangoe, and Petra Becker are used with permission and fully attributed to each contributor. All other content and curation, including analysis, structure, and presentation, are original to the author.

More information about the exhibition and the artists

Whispers of Consciousness brought together works by five artists selected by the Wealth & Family office forum- Davos edition, whose practices align with the Forum’s vision of fostering consciousness and trust in an increasingly complex world. The exhibition invites participants to attend to what is subtle, overlooked, or easily lost within conditions of accelerating connectivity and growing polarization. Listening is positioned as an active practice, one that cultivates presence, trust, and meaning within fast moving and constantly evolving systems of connection.

The exhibition approached consciousness as relational. The works do not aim to explain or resolve, but to catalyse presence by creating moments where attention deepens and perception may shift. Through photography, painting, installation, video, and virtual reality, the artists explore multiple dimensions of consciousness across experiential, technological, ecological, and social registers.

Paula Marcondes engages fragments of both physical and digital environments to examine the phygital threshold where these realms intersect. Within moments of rupture and multiplicity, her work proposes mindful presence and renewed human connection as conscious choices rather than passive outcomes.

Anka Manshusen’s Frequency Artwork operates on a subtle perceptual register. Through light, abstraction, and compositional precision, her work establishes a quiet field of resonance and stillness, offering an experience of coherence and inner alignment that unfolds beyond intellectual interpretation.

Sasha Huber’s portraits frame listening as an ethical act of witnessing. By naming and commemorating women affected by gender based violence, her work confronts silence and erasure, emphasizing that healing and trust depend upon recognition, accountability, and care.

Mariia Plekhova’s practice centers on shared presence and collective continuity. Her VR installation evolves through the gestures of participants, making visible how individual actions accumulate and leave lasting traces within collective systems. Her paintings extend this inquiry through material reflections on stillness, duration, and time.

Clifton Mahangoe’s light based work explores interconnectedness through rhythm and luminosity. His installations create contemplative spaces of emotional resonance and belonging, inviting awareness that operates beyond language.

Together, the works in Whispers of Consciousness propose consciousness as a cultivated state of being shaped through listening, presence, and relationship. Rather than offering answers, the exhibition invites reflection on how mindful awareness can forge connection and locate responsibility within a world undergoing profound transformation.