The world's latest obsession with UFOs is lighting up screens, galleries and protests alike. Steven Spielberg's Disclosure Day (2026) joins the likes of exhibitions by Chloe Wise at Kulturstiftung Basel H. Geiger and a Prada immersive experience in Chelsea, all exploring extraterrestrial themes.

Much of this fascination is reactive; a response to what we fear or long for. The Trump White House capitalized on this anxiety with Aliens.gov, blending UFO lore with immigration rhetoric. But for artists like Karla Knight and Eliza Douglas, the question isn't just whether aliens exist but how we can communicate with them.

Dr Thandi Loewenson's exhibition at Storefront explores African encounters, revealing that alien sightings are often tied to local folklore and ancestral spirits rather than the standard grey aliens of popular imagination. Spielberg, meanwhile, suggests that extraterrestrials could be closer to home, challenging our understanding of what an alien might look or act like.

Ultimately, the renewed interest in UFOs isn't about them but us: our need for something more, our fear of the unknown. Are we really hungry for aliens, or are they just a mirror reflecting back our own hopes and fears?