Most philosophical approaches to the political value of art only consider art in general, as an abstract concept. New and experimental art, of which the character and purpose are not yet established, seems to have no place in these theories. This is reflected in society’s disproportionate support of established in comparison to unestablished art. This project aims to break new ground by conceptualising experimental art through the category of imminency. ‘Imminency’ refers to the structural non-place and negative appearance of new and experimental art: imminent art is never expected, but, as it suddenly appears, it disrupts the daily course of events. First, I set out the limits of the existing accounts of art’s political value. These theories miss the unique value of imminent art either by focusing only on art’s instrumental value, or by highlighting its ‘essential value’. In doing so, they impose constraints on future art and thereby neglect imminent art’s unexpected and surprising character. Second, I account for the ontological ‘non-place’ of imminent art. Building upon the existing theoretical accounts of Adorno, Badiou and Rancière, my research contributes to the development of a concept of imminent art focusing on its negative ontological status and in view of its potential unique political implications. Third, I demonstrate the meaning of the concept of imminent art in relation to a set of paradigmatic literary and visual artistic examples.