{"id":31429,"date":"2025-09-11T14:39:58","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T12:39:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/?page_id=31429"},"modified":"2025-10-01T11:11:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T09:11:11","slug":"utopia-texts","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/utopia-texts\/","title":{"rendered":"Utopia. The Right to Hope \u2013 Texts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Utopia. The Right to Hope<\/a><\/strong>
27.09.2025 \u2013 11.01.2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou may say I\u2019m a dreamer, but I\u2019m not the only one,\u201d wrote John Lennon and Yoko Ono in the opening lines of \u201cImagine,\u201d one of the world\u2019s most famous songs. Though the song is more than half a century old, its vision of various utopian ideals remains relevant today: a world without war, hunger, greed, and hatred\u2014a peaceful, sustainable, and livable world for all people, in which they share with each other, care for one another, and treat each other with respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historically, the emergence of utopias has usually been closely linked to dissatisfaction with a present that is perceived as negative. Even today, many people find the current times stressful, if not dystopian. In addition to wars, genocides, global refugee movements, the rise of populism and right-wing radicalism in many countries, and a spreading loss of trust in democracies, it is above all the human-made climate catastrophe that dominates the thoughts and actions of many. This raises numerous pressing questions: How do we want to coexist and survive together in the future? In what condition will we leave the Earth to future generations? How can we use existing knowledge to make the world a place of solidarity and ecological responsibility?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exhibition Utopia. The Right to Hope<\/em> sends a message of hope, emphasizing the right to a livable future for all humans and non-human beings. Through artistic ideas, suggestions, and visions, the exhibition opens new spaces for thinking about our own perspectives, alternative paths and options for action, and the possibilities for a different, more just and sustainable world to which we can all contribute at any time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we demand the right to hope with this exhibition, we do not mean na\u00efvely waiting for miracles. Hope does not mean suppressing or even denying realities and their complex challenges but rather confronting them and facing them with courage. Utopias paint a picture of a better world and offer concrete perspectives for change. With Utopia<\/em>, we are taking a step in this direction. Let us dare to create more utopias together that spark hope and confidence in a better tomorrow!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exhibition, which spans the hall and gallery and features some sixty international artistic positions, is divided into seven thematic clusters, which are identified by large, colorfully designed text panels. Each individual work in the exhibition is accompanied by a short text providing information about its content. The color codes on the signage clearly indicate which thematic cluster each work belongs to. Further information and in-depth texts can be found in the accompanying publication to the exhibition, which is available in our shop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Curators<\/em>
Andreas Beitin (idea and concept), Sebastian M\u00fchl, Dino Steinhof<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Curatorial Assistant <\/em>
Veronika Mehlhart<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scientific Advisory Board <\/em>
Inke Arns, Ann-Katrin G\u00fcnzel, J\u00f6rg Heiser, Wolfgang Kaleck, Ina-Maria Maahs, Manuel Rivera, Ludger Schwarte, Kerstin Wolff<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
Cluster 1
Utopias Between History and the Present<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Cluster 2
Democracy and Global Justice<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Cluster 3
Individual Utopias and Communities<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Cluster 4
The Right to a Future<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Cluster 5
Sustainability, Climate Activism, and the Rights of Nature<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Cluster 6
Solidarity Among Species<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Cluster 7
Utopias of Alternative Futures and Posthuman Beings<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n

Cluster 1<\/strong>

Utopias Between History and the Present<\/strong>

The exhibition Utopia. The Right to Hope <\/em>focuses largely on the present and the future. However, the first cluster initially features works that refer to historical utopias\u2014whether in the form of ideologies, symbols, or technologies. In doing so, these works also address the crises and failures of past utopias. While the battered and rusted stars by Stephan Huber and Raimund Kummer (Firmament II<\/em>, 1991) can be interpreted as a commentary on the failed utopias in the socialist states, the video Try Again. Fail Again. Fail Better.<\/em> (2011) by Anetta Mona Chi\u015fa and Lucia Tk\u00e1\u010dov\u00e1 humorously plays with a fist inflated into a balloon as the familiar symbol of rebellion and revolutionary struggle. One of the great technological promises of the twentieth century was the virtually unlimited energy production through nuclear fission: After the Chernobyl disaster, the nuclear catastrophe in Fukushima (Thomas Demand, Control Room,<\/em> 2011) also revealed its limitations. The installation Phantom Island<\/em> (2025) by Philipp F\u00fcrhofer, commissioned especially for the exhibition, builds a bridge from Thomas More\u2019s famous island of Utopia to one of the central messages of the exhibition, namely to take action in the spirit of micro-utopias in order to change things for the better in the future.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Anetta Mona Chi\u015fa und Lucia Tk\u00e1\u010dov\u00e1<\/strong>

Try Again. Fail Again. Fail Better.<\/em>, 2011
1-channel video, color, sound
7:57 min.

Courtesy the artists

In this video, a group of people release a giant, inflatable fist\u2014 a common symbol of protest movements\u2014into the air as if it were a balloon. However, the fist gradually deflates and collapses. While this could be interpreted as an allegory of a waning protest, the limp fist can also be understood as a possibility of liberation from illusory or disappointed beliefs and their symbolism, thereby creating space for new ideas, hopes, and utopias.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Chto Delat<\/strong>

Untitled (Tatlin Tower)<\/em>, 2013
Mixed media

mumok \u2013 Museum moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien, on loan from the collection Ludwig, Aachen, Peter und Irene Ludwig Stiftung, 2021

The small Tatlin Tower <\/em>by the Russian art collective Chto Delat is a tribute to Vladimir Tatlin\u2018s unrealized, 400-meter-tall Monument to the Third International <\/em>(1919\u201320), which was considered an exemplary testament to the utopian aspirations of the artistic avant-garde in the early twentieth century. Nearly a century later, after the collapse of the socialist dream, Chto Delat\u2018s \u201csmall tower\u201d reminds us not to lose hope in a better world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Thomas Demand<\/strong>

Control Room<\/em>, 2011
C-print, Diasec
Ed. AP

Courtesy the artist and Matthew Marks Gallery \/ Spr\u00fcth Magers \/ Esther Schipper, Berlin \/ Taka Ishii Gallery

Thomas Demand builds detailed, three-dimensional models of objects or places out of paper and cardboard. He then photographs the models and destroys the originals. Control Room <\/em>depicts the destroyed control center of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Although, in contrast to the Chernobyl disaster, an earthquake caused the destruction here, the photograph is still a powerful metaphor for the failed utopian promise of unlimited energy production through nuclear fission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Philipp F\u00fcrhofer<\/strong>

Phantominsel<\/em>, 2025
Acrylic on PVC, mirrors, truss system

Courtesy the artist

The installation, created as a commissioned work for the Utopia <\/em>exhibition, features painted palm trees and other enticing elements. Visitors are invited to enter the artificial island through the slats, only to be confronted with their own reflection. Phantom Island <\/em>serves as a metaphor for one of the exhibition\u2019s central messages: instead of searching for the ostensibly auspicious island of Utopia, we should strive to make positive changes ourselves in the spirit of micro-utopias.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Stephan Huber und Raimund Kummer<\/strong>

Firmament II<\/em>, 1991
60 cast-iron stars

Private collections, courtesy the artists

The \u201cstar field\u201d consists of around forty heavy, five-pointed stars made of cast iron. Many of the stars\u2019 points have broken off. Therefore, the loss is twofold: first, contrary to the title, the stars no longer shine high in the sky; second, they are all damaged. If one interprets the five-pointed stars as a symbol contained in the flags of many former or existing socialist states, then the piece can be read as a commentary on the failed utopias of the twentieth century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Sven Johne<\/strong>

Heilpflanzen im Todesstreifen<\/em>, 2021
25 inkjet prints on Fine Art paper, framed
Ed. 3\/3

Courtesy the artist, Klemm\u2019s, Berlin, and Galerie Nagel Draxler, Cologne

Sven Johne\u2019s twenty-five-part photographic series explores a prominent yet largely unknown place in the history of divided Germany: the former death strip. Together with his children, Johne walked the entire 1,400-kilometer length of the former inner-German border in search of his own family memories. Given the abundance of medicinal plants that still thrive in the once restricted area, the series serves as a meditation on history, separation, healing, and reconciliation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Mischa Kuball<\/strong>

DYS(U)TOPIA<\/em>, 2021
Video installation, color, sound, mesh textile
2:55 min.

Courtesy Studio Mischa Kuball

At night, the bright lettering \u201cDYS(U)TOPIA\u201d appears on a truck as it drives through various cities. As the \u201cU\u201d is switched on and off, it oscillates between a positive and negative prognosis for the future. With this mobile installation, Kuball refers to the permanent danger of utopias failing and asks how we want to shape the future coexistence of society against the backdrop of current political challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Cluster 2<\/strong>

Democracy and Global Justice<\/strong>

Historically, utopias have often provided answers to the question of just rule and how a good state should be understood. The works brought together in this cluster show that such questions have lost none of their relevance, especially with regard to democracy. For even if democracy is no longer a matter of course for some and must be fought for by many people around the world, it remains the most just form of government in which the utopia of nonviolent communication can be pursued. Artists such as Marina Naprushkina and Jasmina Cibic ask about the ideal president and the optimal gift for a divided nation, respectively. The group Soci\u00e9t\u00e9 R\u00e9aliste envisions a utopia of global transnationality that transcends nation states. The works of IRWIN, AES+F, Chto Delat International, and Mischa Leinkauf directly or indirectly point to factual borders that exist between states, sometimes as insurmountable hurdles, by addressing aspects of legal affiliation, the status of refugees, and the dissolution of borders as a possible utopia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Kader Attia<\/strong>

To Resist is to Remain Invisible<\/em>, 2011
Color, matte and glossy

Courtesy the artist

Resistance is the theme of this site-specific work. Here, Kader Attia points to everyday, albeit often invisible, forms of rebellion against prevailing power systems, such as the attempt to evade or even negate them. The title is written in black paint, almost invisibly, on a black wall, in different languages depending on the context. Avoiding visibility, as well as turning anonymity into an offensive position in the sense of mimicry, can be the basis of a politics of change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Chto Delat International<\/strong>

Fell Down \u2013 Get Up, A magical play after Werner T\u00fcbke<\/em>, 2025
Multimedia installation

Songs of Hope and Despair. Performed by Bundschuh, Fish, Fox Tail, Rainbow, Dead Drummer, Muse-Leaving Germany and by other agencies<\/em>, 2025
With the engaged participationof friends, starring Manuel Muerteas Magician and the choir WilderChorYander 1-channel video, color, sound
80 min.

What If an Apocalypse Is Now the New Normal?<\/em>, 2025
A mini-lecture by Oxana Timofeeva on apocalypses
1-channel video, color, sound
8:30 min.

17 Episodes: A Brief Guide to the Film \u201cSongs of Hope and Despair\u201d<\/em>
A Series of Sketch-Collages and a Board Game Table<\/em>
Realized by Dmitry Vilensky and Nikolay Oleynikov
24 collages, table, wood, mixed media

Courtesy the artists This musical fairy tale explores themes such as hope and despair, revolution and failure, and the question of whether miracles can save us from today\u2019s seemingly hopeless situation. The video centers on the magician Manuel Muerte. During his performance in the market square of Hettstedt, Germany, he transforms a group of Russian migrants into figures from Werner T\u00fcbke\u2019s monumental Peasants\u2019 War panorama Early Bourgeois Revolution in Germany <\/em>(1976\u201387) and sends them on a \u201cdangerous\u201d journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Jasmina Cibic<\/strong>

The Gift<\/em>, 2021
1-channel video (4K), color, sound
20 min.

Courtesy the artist

This three-channel video by Jasmina Cibic explores the question of the perfect gift for a divided nation and the utopia of political reconciliation. The film\u2019s sets feature examples of architectural gifts, including Oscar Niemeyer\u2019s French Communist Party Headquarters in Paris (a gift from the architect to the PCF), the Palais des Nations in Geneva (with gifts from the international community), the 25 May Museum in Belgrade (a gift to former Yugoslav President Tito by the nation), and the Buzludzha Monument on Hadzhi Dimitar Peak in Bulgaria (given to the Bulgarian Communist Party by the nation).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Jordi Colomer<\/strong>

X-VILLE<\/em>, 2015
1-channel video installation, color, sound, bench, screen, 24 cardboard boxes, paint
Dimensions variable
23 min.

Courtesy the artist and Michel Rein, Paris \/ Brussels

In 1974, the architect Yona Friedman formulated his thoughts on realizable utopias\u2014utopias that emerge from a collective response to a shared dissatisfaction. Friedman\u2019s ideas are the basis for Colomer\u2019s video essay, in which he presents an imaginary city X, where it is possible to rethink the way time and life are currently organized. The video essay was produced in close collaboration with students and with the participation of residents of the city of Annecy, France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Mischa Leinkauf<\/strong>

Fiktion einer Nicht-Einreise<\/em>, 2019
1-channel video (4K), color, sound
17 min.

Courtesy the artist and alexander levy, Berlin

In his video, Mischa Leinkauf addresses the supposed insurmountability of national borders, including those between Israel, Jordan, and Egypt, as well as those in the Mediterranean between Spain and Morocco. While the respective borders are guarded and secured militarily on land based on political agreements, a seemingly boundless landscape reveals itself underwater. As a diver, the artist undermined the \u201carchitectures of partition,\u201d as Leinkauf puts it, and created a space of freedom far removed from territorial control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Muoto architectes und Georgi Stanishev + Cl\u00e9mence La Sagna<\/strong>

Ball Theater \u2013 La f\u00eate n\u2019est pas finie<\/em>, 2023
Installation, steel, other materials

Courtesy Studio Muoto, Georgi Stanishev, and Cl\u00e9mence La Sagna

The Ball Theater <\/em>aims to rekindle our longing for utopia. Its hemispherical shape can be interpreted as a globe or an oversized disco ball, symbolizing an era of freedom and lightheartedness. At its center is a vision of alternative futures. The installation invites visitors to reflect and engage in communal activities, so as to move beyond crises to explore new narratives through art, architecture, and partying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Marina Naprushkina<\/strong>

I want a president<\/em>, 2021
Acrylic on canvas

Courtesy the artist and PSM, Berlin

This installation pays tribute to Zoe Leonard\u2019s 1992 poem and to Maria Kalesnikava, a Belarusian musician and activist who has been a political prisoner of Alexander Lukashenko\u2019s regime in Belarus since 2020. Kalesnikava was a member of the Coordination Council, which was formed to facilitate a peaceful transfer of power following the rigged 2020 presidential election. Given the failure of the Belarusian democracy movement, Naprushkina\u2019s work serves as a wake-up call for solidarity and an unresolved demand on the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Neue Slowenische Kunst (NSK)<\/strong>

NSK State in Time<\/em>, 1992\u2013ongoing

Neue Slowenische Kunst (NSK) *<\/strong>
NSK Passport<\/em>, 1993
Passport

IRWIN **<\/strong>
NSK Territory Suhl<\/em>, 1993
Black-and-white photograph

IRWIN **<\/strong>
NSK Consulate Umag<\/em>, 1994
Photograph; photo by Franci Virant

New Collectivism *<\/strong>
NSK Stamps<\/em>, 1994
Paper, edition

IRWIN (Du\u0161an Mandi\u010d) **<\/strong>
The Ribbon \u2013 D. M.<\/em>, 2000
Silver leaf on wood relief, oil paint, cotton, paper, plexiglass

IRWIN (Borut Vogelnik) *<\/strong>
The Flag for the Vehicle \/ Left, Right,<\/em>
Up, Down<\/em>, 2001
Watercolor on silk, silkscreen on cotton

IRWIN **<\/strong>
Ministry of Foreign Affairs \/ NSK<\/em>
Passports<\/em>, 2007
Print, framed

IRWIN *<\/strong>
Distribution of the NSK State in Time Passport Holders<\/em>, 2008
Wall application

IRWIN **<\/strong>
Time for a New State, Lagos<\/em>, 2010
Photograph

IRWIN (Andrej Savski) **<\/strong>
Time for a New State<\/em>, 2016
Wood, tar, oil on canvas

IRWIN in cooperation with<\/strong> Fatmir Mustafa-Karllo *<\/strong>
NSK Territory Prishtina<\/em>, 2022
Photograph; photo by Atdhe Mulla

IRWIN (Borut Vogelnik) **<\/strong>
I Declare This Territory Mine<\/em>, 2023
Pencil and stamp ink on paper

* Courtesy the artists

++ Gregor Podnar, Vienna

The project NSK State in Time <\/em>by the artist collective Neue Slowenische Kunst \/ New Slovenian Art (NSK) is a utopian state par excellence: an artistic \u201cstate structure\u201d without real territory, manifesting itself in the form of temporary embassies or consulates. Anyone can become a citizen of this \u201cstate\u201d regardless of their own citizenship or nationality. The passports issued by the NSK State in Time <\/em>not only look deceptively real but have already proven helpful in crossing borders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Soci\u00e9t\u00e9 R\u00e9aliste<\/strong>

U.N. Camouflage<\/em>, 2012
50 of 193 flags, digital print on polyester

Courtesy the artists, Galerie J\u00e9r\u00f4me Poggi, Paris, and acb Gallery, Budapest

The expansive flag installation U.N. Camouflage <\/em>envisions a utopia in which nation-states are overcome and their borders are dissolved. Using a pattern software, the flags of all nation-states were abstracted to the point that their symbolic and identity-forming functions were undermined. Given current political developments and the relevance of international organizations such as the United Nations, Soci\u00e9t\u00e9 R\u00e9aliste\u2019s transnational utopia seems more urgent than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Cluster 3<\/strong>

Individual Utopias and Communities<\/strong>

\u201cClassical\u201d utopias generally pursued a universalist claim, as they usually attempted to realize an order that included all individuals, but this often led to coercion and did not rule out the risk of totalitarianism. The idea associated with utopias today, on the other hand, can only be redeemed if it offers emancipation, equal rights, and freedom for all\u2014social liberation movements such as Black Lives Matter with their slogan \u201cNobody\u2019s free, until everybody\u2019s free\u201d are impressive proof of this. When reflecting on whose freedom is meant, the question arises of whose utopias are actually assumed\u2014a question that the artist Cao Fei poses almost programmatically for the works brought together in this cluster in her video Whose Utopia<\/em> (2006). The subjective nature of many utopias often comes to the fore, as do collective and individual dreams. On the other hand, works such as those by Cauleen Smith, Jaanus Samma, and Chitra Ganesh refer to the role of communities, countercultures, and possible places of retreat in which queer, non-binary, Indigenous, and other groups and individuals affected by discrimination can temporarily experience the freedom that is often denied to them in society as a whole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

AES+F<\/strong>

Mare Mediterraneum<\/em>, 2018
Porcelain, paint
Unless otherwise specified Ed. 5\/6 + 3 AP

Mare Mediterraneum #1<\/em>, 2018

Mare Mediterraneum #2<\/em>, 2018

Mare Mediterraneum #3<\/em>, 2018

Mare Mediterraneum #4<\/em>, 2018

Mare Mediterraneum #5<\/em>, 2018

Mare Mediterraneum #6<\/em>, 2018

Mare Mediterraneum #7<\/em>, 2018

Mare Mediterraneum #8<\/em>, 2018

Mare Mediterraneum #9<\/em>, 2018

50 \u00d7 68 \u00d7 33 cm

Courtesy the artists

This group of nine porcelain sculptures trenchantly exposes the inequalities of the present day. While refugees fleeing to a life of safety experience the Mediterranean as a deadly barrier, the luxury desires of a decadent elite seem to know no bounds. Traditional porcelain art, with its own history of Asian-European migration, proves to be a fitting medium for reflecting on borders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Martin Beck<\/strong>

Headlines<\/em>, 2010
Silkscreen on cardboard

Headlines<\/em>, 2010
Silkscreen on cardboard

mumok \u2013 Museum moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien

The headlines in this bipartite work are based on keywords and captions from various issues of The Modern Utopian<\/em>, a magazine published in the 1960s and 1970s which covered alternative hippie and commune culture in the United States. The Headlines <\/em>document aspects of contemporary American counterculture, revealing its utopian ambitions as well as its abysses and failures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Cao Fei<\/strong>

Whose Utopia<\/em>, 2006
1-channel video projection, color, sound
20:21 min.

Courtesy Spr\u00fcth Magers and Vitamin Creative Space

Cao Fei\u2019s video asks, in an individual and universal way, whose utopias we are actually basing our lives on. The artist spent several months with workers at an Osram light bulb factory in China\u2019s Pearl River Delta, asking them to visualize their personal wishes and dreams for the future on camera. This poetic work reveals the everyday utopias of migrant workers in modern-day China and places them in the context of globalization and industrial modernization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Chitra Ganesh<\/strong>

A city will share her secrets if you know how to ask<\/em>, 2020\/2025
Site-specific installation, adapted for the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, vinyl foil on window panes

Courtesy the artist

In her drawings, collages, and paintings inspired by comics and anime, Chitra Ganesh combines elements of speculative science fiction, South Asian history, religion, and mythology with queerfeminist narratives. The window piece, adapted especially for the exhibition Utopia: The Right to Hope<\/em>, is a powerful statement in favor of queerness and empowerment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Otobong Nkanga<\/strong>

In a Place Yet Unknown<\/em>, 2017
Woven fabric, metal reservoir, ink, dye
Ed. 1\/4

Associazione Genesi, Milan Otobong Nkanga\u2019s tapestry poetically reflects on processes of transformation as fundamental characteristics of societies and identities. Soaked in ink-black liquid at the bottom, the tapestry displays a poem by the artist that reads: \u201cIn a place between stillness \/ fear and a slow meltdown \/ a new form grows \/ visible only to the heart\u201d\u2014an expression of burgeoning hope and confidence in dark times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Jaanus Samma<\/strong>

Riga Postcards<\/em>, 2020
Digital print on silk, metal stands, flower arrangement

Courtesy the artist

The installation presents a booth from a fictional travel trade show from the 1970s and 1980s, in which Riga is shown as a utopian retreat for the queer community in the USSR. Due to its attractive location on the Baltic Sea and its distance from the political center of the Soviet Union, Riga offered the queer community relative anonymity and freedom of movement. Given the (renewed) surge in repression in many post-Soviet bloc states, Samma\u2019s work remains highly relevant today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Cauleen Smith<\/strong>

Sojourner<\/em>, 2018
1-channel video installation, color, sound, bench, disco balls, turntable, wallpaper
22:41 min.

Courtesy the artist and Mor\u00e1n Mor\u00e1n

Central themes in Cauleen Smith\u2019s artistic work include healing, feminism, Black history, and Afrofuturism. In her video Sojourner<\/em>, set in the California desert, Smith depicts a feminist utopia: a collective of women of color who create a futuristic society. Excerpts from various texts are heard on transistor radios, including the \u201cCombahee River Collective Statement\u201d from 1977, which protested the multiple forms of oppression experienced by Black women and called for freedom and equality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Cluster 4<\/strong>

The Right to a Future<\/strong>

The right to hope also implies the right to a future worth living and the overcoming of political, social, economic, and other differences, which are overcome and reconciled in the sense of healing.
However, hope does not mean na\u00efvely waiting for a miracle or some kind of salvation. Nor does it mean repressing or even denying realities with their complex challenges but rather confronting them and facing them with courage.
In addition to a \u201cguiding star\u201d (\u00d3lafur El\u00edasson, Navigation star for utopia<\/em>, 2022), the perspectives of children can offer guidance because they should be listened to in particular, as the future belongs to them: In Cornelia Parker\u2019s two-channel video THE FUTURE:<\/em> Sixes and Sevens<\/em> (2023), children talk about their individual wishes for the future, but also about their fears. Young climate activists have their say in Rory Pilgrim\u2019s video The Undercurrent<\/em> (2019\u2013ongoing). And even if it is almost too good to believe: In Nasan Tur\u2019s Good News<\/em> (2009), there is only good news in the newspaper. A brave new world?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Olafur Eliasson<\/strong>

Navigation star for utopia<\/em>, 2022
Stainless steel, wood, colored glass, brass, paint, LED lights

Courtesy the artist, Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York \/ Los Angeles, and neugerriemschneider, Berlin

For many years, Olafur Eliasson has been interested in scientific instruments and navigation. The Navigation star for utopia <\/em>resembles an oversized, three-dimensional compass rose composed of stainless-steel rings, colored glass, and light. Integrated LEDs illuminate the interior and shine outward. References to orientation and movement play just as much of a role in the work as the pursuit of better futures. The work reminds us that people are often drawn to the idea of utopias, and symbolizes that in our quest for them, we are guided not only by geographical coordinates, but also by an inner exploration of ideals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Cornelia Parker<\/strong>

THE FUTURE: Sixes and Sevens<\/em>, 2023
2-channel video installation, color, sound
8:55 min.

Courtesy the artist and Frith Street Gallery, London

In this video installation, a class of primary school students is asked questions about the future. The six- and seven-year-olds talk about their fears, worries, and hardships and reveal an astonishing awareness of contemporary social, political, and ecological issues, such as the climate crisis. The children also describe their wishes, dreams, and hopes and talk about how they themselves want to contribute to a better society as adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Rory Pilgrim<\/strong>

The Undercurrent<\/em>, 2019\u2013ongoing
1-channel video (HD), color, sound
50 min.

Courtesy Maureen Paley, London

Based on an online open call, The Undercurrent <\/em>was created in collaboration with ten young climate activists in Boise, Idaho. In the HD video, Rory Pilgrim sensitively explores how the climate crisis, an overwhelming global problem, is dealt with on a personal level. How does climate change relate to other aspects of the activists\u2019 lives, such as family, friendship, and the need for a home? What emotional tools are necessary to cope with the crisis?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Sputniko!<\/strong>

Drone in Search for a Four-Leaf Clover<\/em>, 2023
2-channel video (4K), color, sound
9:36 min.

Creative coder: Riku Ueno (P.I.C.S. Tech) \/ Creative director: Hironori Terai (P.I.C.S. Tech) \/ Technical producer: Yoshitaka Yuge (P.I.C.S. Tech) \/ Production manager: Kokoro Kanzaki (P.I.C.S. Tech) \/ Sound composer: Jaermulk Manhattan

Courtesy Sputniko!

Four-leaf clovers are commonly regarded as symbols of luck, love, and hope. For this video, a drone was equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) to identify the rare, auspicious leaves in clover fields. The work deliberately plays with the ambivalence of AI and drone technology: while this technology makes finding four-leaf clovers easier, it also raises the question of whether they can truly bring us luck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Nasan Tur<\/strong>

Good News<\/em>, 2009
2 of 5,000 newspapers, each consisting of 21 posters

Courtesy the artist

The newspaper Good News<\/em>, consisting of twenty-one posters, documents a contemporary history of good news. The press photographs, sourced from newspapers and magazines from the 1970s to the 2000s, bear witness to a hopeful and optimistic world through historical moments. By combining utopia and media criticism, Nasan Tur addresses the still-relevant question of the role of visual media and the evaluation of social progress and regression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Cluster 5<\/strong>

Sustainability, Climate Activism, and the Rights of Nature<\/strong>

Contemporary utopias can spark hope for concrete solutions to the crises of our time, social and economic injustices, and the human-made climate catastrophe. The positions gathered in this thematic cluster show that sustainable thinking and action are often already being successfully implemented against the backdrop of a solution-oriented, activist, and legally sound understanding. While the rethink*rotor<\/em> project (2022\u2013ongoing) by OX2architekten is testing innovative solutions for repurposing disused wind turbine rotor blades as reused building elements in an architectural context, the Team Fungal Mycelium at the Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences is researching sustainable composite materials using the example of mycelium\u2014the underground network of fungal threads. The artist and activist Haley Mellin combines photorealistic paintings of forests with concrete nature conservation in her works. Ursula Biemann and Tom\u00e1s Saraceno, on the other hand, deal with questions regarding the rights of nature. Biemann\u2019s two-channel video, Forest Law<\/em> (2014), documents a court case in which the rights of the Amazonian forest in Ecuador were recognized. In 2020, Saraceno undertook the world\u2019s most sustainable balloon flight, powered purely by solar energy, in Argentina, while also protesting against lithium mining together with local Indigenous communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Pablo Albarenga<\/strong>

Seeds of Resistance \u2013 Daniela<\/em>, 2019
C-print on Aludibond

Courtesy the artist

Daniela is an LGBT activist from the Prainha II community on the Tapaj\u00f3s River. She fights for LGBT recognition and defends her territory from the expansion of agribusiness. Surrounding the natural reserve where she lives are vast soybean fields.
Left: One of the soybean fields adjacent to Daniela\u2019s territory.
Middle: Daniela lying on her land.
Right: The boundary between the rainforest where Daniela resides and the soybean fields stretching to the horizon.
Prainha Community, Tapaj\u00f3s River, Par\u00e1, Brazil, 2019 Text: Pablo Albarenga, 2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Pablo Albarenga<\/strong>

Seeds of Resistance \u2013 Drica<\/em>, 2019
C-print on Aludibond

Courtesy the artist

Drica was the first woman elected as the Quilombola Territory Coordinator, representing five communities along the Trombetas River in the Brazilian Amazon. The first challenge these communities face is the pressure from loggers eager to strike deals with them. A second challenge comes from a bauxite mine downstream, which has been constructing dams that threaten the entire Trombetas River. However, for Drica, the greatest challenge is a large hydroelectric dam project that is likely to be approved by the government, endangering the river\u2019s ecosystem and displacing the communities from their ancestral lands.
Left: An aerial view of the Rio do Norte bauxite mine adjacent to Drica\u2019s territory.
Right: Drica lying on her ancestral land.
Trombetas River, Par\u00e1, Brazil, 2019

Text: Pablo Albarenga, 2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Pablo Albarenga<\/strong>

Seeds of Resistance \u2013 Daniela Silva<\/em>, 2023
C-print on Aludibond

Courtesy the artist

Daniela is a strong woman who continues to resist and strive to transform Altamira, her hometown, into a better place for future generations. She and many others lost their homes due to the construction of one of the world\u2019s largest hydroelectric power dams. With this significant project, Altamira has become one of the most violent cities in Brazil.
Left: Dead trees, left behind in large numbers after the flooding of the Xingu River after completion of the Belo Monte dam, decay in the water.
Right: Daniela Silva poses for a portrait lying in the spot where her house used to stand in the \u201cbaix\u00f5es de Altamira\u201d (Altamira lowlands). According to Daniela, families were removed from this area because it was supposed to be flooded, but that has not happened. Today, it remains a barren square.
Altamira, Par\u00e1, Brazil, 2023

Text: Pablo Albarenga, 2023<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Ursula Biemann<\/strong>

Forest Law<\/em>, 2014
2-channel video installation, color, sound,
38 min.

Courtesy Ursula Biemann and Paulo Tavares

This installation documents court cases in which the rights of forests are asserted. The starting point is the 2012 lawsuit that the Sarayaku, a Quechua (Kichwa) community in the Ecuadorian Amazon, won against the Ecuadorian government, which had allowed oil drilling in the Indigenous community\u2019s habitat. The Ecuadorian Amazon is one of the most species- and mineralrich regions on Earth and continues to be seriously threatened by the extraction of raw materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Andreas Greiner<\/strong>

1713 (Eternal Line)<\/em>, 2025
Various tree seeds arranged in a parametric pattern

Collection 888, Hamburg<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Folke K\u00f6bberling<\/strong>

Lasting Signs of Jubilee<\/em>, 2022
Wood, wool, plants, other materials
245 \u00d7 180 \u00d7 420 cm

The \u201cJubilee Car,\u201d which was originally conceived in collaboration with the University of Vienna, is made entirely of renewable materials, including wood and raw wool. QR codes allow exhibition visitors to listen to lectures on topics such as sustainability, habitat conservation, and biodiversity inside the car. Covered in wool, the car provides an acoustically pleasant space where people can engage with important topics in peace, even in an urban environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Haley Mellin<\/strong>

Northern Highlands, Guatemala<\/em>, 2025
Gouache, acrylic, charcoal, and ink on canvas, framed

Tree Fall (Between Worlds)<\/em>, 2025
Gouache, charcoal, and ink on canvas, framed

Where the Sky Touches Earth<\/em>, 2025
Gouache, charcoal, and ink on canvas, framed

The wood used for the frames was offset by a donation to the nonprofit One Tree Planted

Courtesy the artist and DITTRICH & SCHLECHTRIEM

\u201cI paint outdoors while supporting the permanent conservation of the landscape,\u201d explains the artist and activist Haley Mellin. Her photorealistic paintings, created with nontoxic materials like water-based gouache instead of oil paint, result from precise observations of nature. For the exhibition Utopia: The Right to Hope<\/em>, Mellin created three new works, which she painted in the Northern Highlands of Guatemala. With her foundation Art into Acres, she is also committed to the preservation of forests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Achim Mohn\u00e9<\/strong>

The_Vegan_Scanning_Printing_Cooking_Project<\/em>, 2018\u2013ongoing
Cooking performance with seasonal and regional vegetables and edible plants, scanner, computer, printer

Edelkastanie [Castanea sativa]<\/em>, 2017
Pigment print on Hahnem\u00fchle, framed

L\u00f6wenzahn [Taraxacum]<\/em>, 2017
Pigment print on Hahnem\u00fchle, framed

Magnolie [Magnolia]<\/em>, 2017
Pigment print on Hahnem\u00fchle, framed

Roter Fingerhut [Digitalis Purpurea]<\/em>, 2017
Pigment print on Hahnem\u00fchle, framed

Courtesy the artist

Whether dandelions, chestnuts, or blackberries\u2014regional and seasonal plants are first scanned and then turned into vegan dishes as part of cooking events. With their fascinating sharpness of detail, the scans have a much higher resolution than photographs. Mohn\u00e9 does not approach his project as a moralistic appeal to go vegan. Rather, he sees it as an opportunity to show alternative ways of eating that are ecologically conscious and healthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Ina-Marie Orawiec, OX2architekten \/ Marcin Orawiec, h_da<\/strong>

rethink*rotor<\/em>, since 2022
Project for the reuse of disused rotorblades from wind turbines
Rotor blade, banner

Courtesy OX2architekten

The award-winning CreativeLab by OX2architekten focuses on application ideas and constructive solutions that creatively harness the durability and performance of a full-sized rotor blade while minimizing impact on form and material. Instead of destroying rotor blades dismantled from wind turbines, they use them as structural building elements to reduce the raw material requirements of the construction industry and to drive optimization processes in architecture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Oliver Ressler<\/strong>

Contours of the Coming World<\/em>, 2024
Ink drawings on paper, framed
Drawings: Claudia Schioppa

Courtesy the artist, \u00e0ngels Barcelona, and The Gallery Apart, Rome

With phrases such as \u201cBreak up concrete. Plant trees\u201d and \u201cWarmth through solidarity,\u201d Oliver Ressler\u2019s drawings call for collective action to protest environmentally damaging economic systems and lifestyles. In light of the effects of climate catastrophe on planetary life, the drawings can be seen as pointed calls to action that are more urgent than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Tom\u00e1s Saraceno<\/strong>

Fly with Pacha, Into the Aerocene<\/em>, 2017 \u2013 ongoing
1-channel video, color, sound
67:15 min.
Directed by: Maximiliano Laina and Tom\u00e1s Saraceno \/ Script: Claudia Aboaf, Tom\u00e1s Saraceno, Iosi Havilio.

Aerocene Backpack AE009<\/em>, 2016
Mallard, brown textile
Developed by the Aerocene Community and Foundation

Courtesy Aerocene Foundation

In the Andean culture, Pacha is a superior energy that organizes and harmonizes all inhabitants in the Cosmos. A message, a film, a journey around the sun with Pachamama, a space-time towards eras of complementarities, Fly with Pacha, into the Aerocene <\/em>portrays the long-standing relationship between many ever-growing communities across multiple continents, documenting the ongoing collaboration between Aerocene and the Indigenous Communities of Salinas Grandes and Laguna de Guayatayoc, in Jujuy, Northern Argentina.

Initiated in 2017, with additional archival fragments dating from 2006 onwards, this project is an ongoing dialogue with Kollas Indigenous Peoples, protecting their ancestral lands from lithium extraction, for eco-social justice in the name of the peoples of the Global South.

In Jujuy in January 2020, the aerosolar sculpture Aerocene Pacha rose using only the air and the sun, completely free from fossil fuels, batteries, lithium, helium, and hydrogen, becoming the most sustainable flight in human history. This journey set 32 world records, recognised by the F\u00e9d\u00e9ration A\u00e9ronautique Internationale (FAI), with Aerocene pilot Leticia Noemi Marques, who flew with the message: \u201cWater and Life are Worth More than Lithium\u201d, written by the Indigenous Communities of Salinas Grandes and Laguna de Guayatayoc.

Three years later, in January 2023, we gathered once again for The Alfarcito Gathering, as national and international geopolitical and commercial interests continue to pressure the basin. Faced with the worsening of the climate crisis and the urgency of the energy transition, the communities\u2019 message is clear: We no longer want to be a sacrifice zone. The Global North\u2019s \u201cgreen\u201d transition cannot reproduce the same extractivist, neocolonial politics that have been imposed on the Peoples of the South, amplifying social, ethnic and environmental inequalities. During this encounter, the indigenous communities declared their ancestral lands as a Subject of Rights. The Rights of Nature movement is striving for rivers, lakes, and mountains to bear legal rights in the same, or at least a similar, manner as human beings. We must listen to the voices of the territories, in defense of water, salt flats and the commons, for an ecosocial energy transition!

Aerocene is an era-in-the-making, a community, a non-profit foundation.We would like to thank especially: Ver\u00f3nica Ch\u00e1vez, Maristella Svampa, Alicia Chalabe, Graciela Speranza, Joaqu\u00edn Ezcurra, Melisa Argento, In\u00e9s Katzenstein, Claudia Aboaf, Antonia Alampi, Alicia Andersen, Maximiliano Laina, DaeHyung Lee and BTS, Manuela Mazure Azcona, Lars Behrendt, Claudia Mel\u00e9ndez Rivera, Sarah Kisner, Gabriela Sorbi, Alberto Pesavento, Till Hergenhahn, Leticia Marqu\u00e9s, Ver\u00f3nica Fiorito, Sasha Engelman, Jol Thomson, Hans-Ulrich Obrist, Emma Enderby, Rebecca Lamarche-Vadel, Yasmil Raymond, Francesca von Habsburg, Bronis\u0142aw Szerszy\u0144ski, Pablo Su\u00e1rez, Nick Shapiro, Garance Primat, Carlos Almeida, Bill McKenna, Ludovica Illari, Daniel Birnbaum, Molly Nesbit, Barbara Bulc, Violeta Bulc, Sven Steudte, Josep Mar\u00eda Llaid\u00f3, Gustavo Alonso Seraf\u00edn, Ilka T\u00f6dt, Dario Lagan\u00e0, Enrique Viale, and Gast\u00f3n Chillier.

The Aerocene Foundation is made possible by the generous support of Espace Muraille, Eric and Caroline Freymond.

Thank you also to Andersen\u2019s, Copenhagen; Ruth Benzacar, Buenos Aires; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York\/Los Angeles; Pinksummer contemporary art, Genoa, and neugerriemschneider, Berlin.

You are invited to be part of this movement for eco-social justice at aerocene.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Tom\u00e1s Saraceno<\/strong>

Live(s) on Air \u2013 Movement 2<\/em>, 2023
Inkjet print on Hahnem\u00fchle Photo Rag
Ed. 2\/6

Live(s) on Air \u2013 Movement 3<\/em>, 2023
Inkjet print on Hahnem\u00fchle Photo Rag
Ed. 2\/6

Live(s) on Air \u2013 Movement 5<\/em>, 2023
Inkjet print on Hahnem\u00fchle Photo Rag
Ed. 2\/6

neugerriemschneider, Berlin<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Team Myzel der Ostfalia Hochschule (MyB)<\/strong>

My[co]Future<\/em>, 2025
Fungal mycelium, wood chips, wood

Research project \u201cFungal Mycelium as a Composite Material for Use in Product Development and Architecture\u201d in the Institute for Recycling at Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences: Ingo Johannsen, Annalena Manz, Luisa Kistenbr\u00fcgger, Bj\u00f6rn Kendelbacher

Energy and raw materials are becoming scarce\u2014so ecological alternatives are needed. Mycelium, the fine root network of fungi, grows in plant fibers or wood chips, forming stable, lightweight, and compostable material. As a substitute for various materials, such as wood, plastics, packaging, or insulation, it offers great potential for a circular, sustainable economy of the future. This project is part of the ongoing research project \u201cFungal Mycelium as a Composite Material for Use in Product Development and Architecture\u201d in the Institute for Recycling at Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences in Wolfsburg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Terreform ONE<\/strong>

Post Carbon City<\/em>, 2014
Digital rendering

Courtesy Mitchell Joachim, Terreform ONE

This nonprofit think tank for sustainable urban development focuses on \u201cliving architecture\u201d made from biological materials. The Post Carbon City <\/em>project envisions a climate-neutral utopia for New York: Manhattan will be renatured and deliberately flooded, and new zones for solar energy, vertical agriculture, and sustainable mobility will be created to realize a climate-resilient, biodiversity-promoting metropolis after the age of fossil fuels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Liam Young<\/strong>

The Great Endeavor<\/em>, 2023
1-channel video, color, sound, costumes
Different dimensions
9 min.

Designed and directed by Liam Young, VFX Supervisor Alexey Marfin \/ Costume production: Ane Crabtree \/ Original
soundtrack: Lyra Pramuk

Courtesy the artist

This speculative short film addresses the efforts needed to remove CO2 from the atmosphere and compares this process to the 1969 Moon landing: once again, a global race is urgently needed. The visually impressive animation depicts a technical utopia with almost radical optimism and calls for collective action, while also raising critical questions about power, infrastructure, and global cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

ZK\/U and KUNSTrePUBLIK<\/strong>

BeeDAO<\/em>, 2019\u2013ongoing
Installation, sensor kits, bee data, Raspberry Pi, monitors, metal, wood, paint, chalk, vinyl, textiles

Courtesy the artists

Although bees generate more than 200 billion euros in global economic output annually, their habitat is threatened by humans, climate crisis, diseases, and invasive species. BeeDAO<\/em>, which stands for Bee Decentralized Autonomous Organization, is a Web3 organization that aims to secure and improve the well-being of bees worldwide. BeeDAO <\/em>is an interactive installation of human and nonhuman actors that promotes interspecies democracy, wealth sharing, and knowledge creation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Cluster 6<\/strong>

Solidarity Among Species<\/strong>

In a world of ecological crises, how can we conceive new ways of living together with animals, plants, and other life forms? The works in this cluster question the dominant human perspective and invite us to explore empathy, care, and coexistence as the basis of a new relationship among species, a unifying kinship that transcends the boundaries between species. For example, Hermann Weber documented his life\/coexistence with a crow that he raised and released into the wild over several years. The work of Lin May Saeed, who has always campaigned for animal rights in her work, specifically calls for the \u201cliberation of animals from their cages.\u201d U\u00fdra Sodoma transforms herself into a hybrid creature in her impressive performances and photographs to advocate for biodiversity in the Brazilian Amazon region and to draw attention to its devastating exploitation. In Khvay Samnang\u2019s video, Calling for Rain<\/em> (2021), it is the animals themselves who, through their cohesion, defeat the fire dragon, a symbol of human-made climate change. These artistic confrontations open up utopian spaces in which a fairer, more respectful and deeper connection between all forms of life becomes conceivable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

melanie bonajo<\/strong>

Night Soil \u2013 Nocturnal Gardening<\/em>, 2016
HD video, color, sound
49:47 min.

Courtesy melanie bonajo and AKINCI

Care and affection for fellow human beings, animate and inanimate nature, and more-than-human species are the central themes of this video, which portrays various women\u2019s groups that are already implementing utopian models of solidarity-based coexistence and anti-capitalist economic practices. These groups explore new ways of coexisting and address issues such as sustainable land use, animal welfare, and environmental protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chitra Ganesh<\/strong>

Never forget the smell of wet earth<\/em>, 2025
Mixed media on paper

Courtesy the artist

In her drawings, collages, and paintings inspired by comics and anime, Chitra Ganesh combines elements of speculative science fiction, South Asian history, religion, and mythology with queerfeminist narratives. The collage, created especially for the exhibition, expresses a deep connection with nature and the animal kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Rosana Paulino<\/strong>

A geometria \u00e0 brasileira: azul n. 1<\/em>, 2021
Acrylic and collage on canvas

Teixeira Collection, Lisbon, Portugal

Rosana Paulino addresses racism within the Brazilian diaspora, which has its roots in the enslavement and deportation of Black people from the African continent. However, her work is also characterized by hope and the possibility of healing emotional trauma. In A geometria \u00e0 brasileira:  azul n. 1<\/em>, she references exoticizing stereotypes of Brazil as a paradisiacal utopia. The triptych features a spiritual being, a godlike \u201ctree woman,\u201d who merges with nature and refers back to the towering jatob\u00e1 tree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Lin May Saeed<\/strong>

The Liberation of Animals from their Cages XXII \/ Woman with Kid<\/em>, 2019
Steel, lacquer

Courtesy Lin May Saeed Estate and Jacky Strenz, Frankfurt am Main

The central theme of Lin May Saeed\u2019s work is the relationship between humans and animals, which she expressed poetically through her sculptures and drawings. As an animal rights advocate, she used her art to raise awareness and to promote understanding of animals within human consciousness. Her animal sculptures, often made of Styrofoam, are in the tradition of Arte Povera and reflect the relationship to the Anthropocene and the Petrol Age\u2014an era defined by human domination over nonhuman species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Khvay Samnang<\/strong>

Calling for Rain<\/em>, 2021
1-channel video, color, sound, 5 mask sculptures (woven vines, steel)
30:42 min.

Ed. 2\/5 + 2 AP

The work was commissioned for the Children’s Biennale by the National Gallery of Singapore.

Courtesy the artist

Inspired by the epic poem Reamker<\/em>, the Cambodian version of the Indian national epic Ramavana<\/em>, Khvay Samnang\u2019s video tells a contemporary story about the destruction of the rainforest and the effects of climate change. The focus is on actors wearing animal masks who perform the story of Kiri, a monkey who falls in love with Kongea, a fish, and defeats the fire dragon with the help of other animals to save the dying forest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

U\u00fdra Sodoma<\/strong>

S\u00e9rie A \u00daltima Floresta \u2013 Terra Pelada<\/em>, 2017
Print on Aludibond

S\u00e9rie Elementar \u2013 Lama<\/em>, 2017
Print on Aludibond

S\u00e9rie A \u00daltima Floresta \u2013 FOGO<\/em>, 2017
Print on Aludibond

Courtesy U\u00fdra Sodoma

U\u00fdra Sodoma, an alter ego of the nonbinary artist and biologist Emerson Pontes, embodies a spiritual entity committed to biodiversity and the preservation of Indigenous habitats. Through performances that blend environmental activism with mythological elements and aesthetic forms of expression borrowed from the drag community, U\u00fdra Sodoma draws attention to the devastating consequences of industrial exploitation and deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Hermann Weber<\/strong>

B\u00fccher \/ Der G\u00f6tterbote, <\/em>2019\u20132022
14 linen-bound books

G\u00f6tterbote<\/em>, 2024
Oil on birch bark

Courtesy the artist

Hermann Weber lives out the often-called for \u201cinterspecies kinship\u201d every day: for many years, he has been meeting with a crow that he has raised and released into the wild, together with its partner. He meticulously documents these encounters in illustrated diaries, as well as in works of art, such as Messenger of the Gods<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Cluster 7<\/strong>
Utopias of Alternative Futures and Posthuman Beings<\/strong>

Utopias of alternative futures, Afrofuturism, and visions of digital bodies and experiences form the starting point of this cluster. The positions gathered here focus on, among other things, (bio)technological developments, prosthetic bodies, and digital or hybrid spaces, and the associated utopian imaginations of a liberating, emancipatory, and transformative intertwining of humans and technologies. In the video game Morphogenic Angels: Chapter 1<\/em> (2023) developed by the Keiken collective, players are immersed in a post-capitalist science fiction scenario in which humans appear angelic and possess the consciousness of all species, both human and nonhuman. Cao Fei addresses the metaverse in her work Oz<\/em> (2022): A non-binary avatar, a chimera between human, machine, and octopus, glides through its digital spheres. Yael Bartana imagines an entirely different narrative in her multimedia work group Light to the Nations<\/em> (2024): What if human destruction made the Earth uninhabitable? With a generation ship, part of humanity could be saved and travel through space indefinitely or return once our planet has regenerated. In contrast, Yinka Shonibare sculpture Refugee Astronaut XII<\/em> (2025) strides across the Earth and becomes a symbol of flight, migration, and the hope for a better life elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

aLifveForms (fed and cared for by JP Raether)<\/strong>

Transformella, TRANSFORMELLA 4.4.5 (2015)<\/em>, 2019
C-print, framed

Protektorama, ORGANIC LIGHT EMMITTING PROCESSIORAMA [5.5.4] (2014)<\/em>, 2020
C-print, framed

Schwarmwesen, KARACHI TRADER 6.1.6.0 (2019)<\/em>, 2020
C-print, framed

Courtesy the artists and Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler, Berlin \/ M\u00fcnchen

Transformella, Schwarmwesen (Swarm Creatures), and Protektorama are the names of the avatars created by aLifveForms. JP Raether embodies these avatars in performative interventions in consumer contexts, such as at IKEA or in Apple Stores. In their multilayered, changing, and constantly evolving incarnations, these humanoid avatars\u2014also known as \u201cAlterIdentities\u201d or \u201cSelfSisters\u201d\u2014 engage with contemporary technological phenomena, challenging constructions of identity, language, and reality. They demonstrate that, in every reality, the possibility of a different, utopian world is conceivable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Yael Bartana<\/strong>
Light to the Nations<\/em>, 2024

Doreet LeVitte Harten, Interview<\/em>, 2024
1-channel video, color, sound
11:30 min.

Generation Ship<\/em>, 2024
3D print, stainless steel, thermoplastic polyester (PETG), nylonpolymer (PA12), mirror, wood

Life in the Generation Ship<\/em>, 2024
3D rendering (VR version), color, sound
21 min.

Light to the Nations – poster series \/ Farewell, <\/em>2023
Fine Art Print

Light to the Nations – poster series \/ Tikkun Olam, <\/em>2023
Fine Art Print

Light to the Nations – poster series \/ Otherland, <\/em>2023
Fine Art Print

Light to the Nations – poster series \/ The Ten Spheres of the Generation Ship, <\/em>2025
Fine Art Print

Courtesy Annet Gelink Gallery, Amsterdam \/ Sommer Contemporary Art, Tel Aviv \/ Galleria Raffaella Cortese, Milan \/ Petzel Gallery, New York \/ Capitain Petzel, Berlin, and Cecilia Hillstr\u00f6m Gallery, Stockholm

At the center of the multimedia work group is a spaceship designed for several generations and for an indefinite period of time, in order to leave Earth after its destruction caused by humans. Based on the Kabbalistic concept of tikkun olam <\/em>(repairing the world), the spaceship offers the utopian\u2014and simultaneously dystopian\u2014opportunity to transport its crew to a new planet, travel endlessly through space, or return them after Earth has been regenerated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Nuotama Frances Bodomo<\/strong>

Afronauts<\/em>, 2014
HD video, b\/w, sound
14 min.

Courtesy the artist

The film Afronauts <\/em>references the Zambian space program initiated by Edward Mukuka Nkoloso in the 1960s, which aimed to beat the Soviet Union and the United States in the race to land on the Moon. The focus is on the woman astronaut Matha Mwamba, just seventeen years old at the time. Racism and gender discrimination in historical space programs is as much a theme as the design of an Afrofuturist utopia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Egl\u0117 Budvytyt\u0117<\/strong>

Songs from the compost: mutating bodies, imploding stars<\/em>, 2020
1-channel video (4K), color, sound
30 min.

Courtesy the artist

Egl\u0117 Budvytyt\u0117\u2019s video visualizes the utopia of a symbiotic coexistence of human and nonhuman natures and forms of consciousness. The young performers do not walk upright but rather crawl through the landscape to hypnotic sounds as part of a choreography. Their bodies appear as sites of activity, mutation, and hybridity, challenging traditional categorizations and hierarchies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Margret Eicher<\/strong>

Interculturalists have arrived 2<\/em>, 2025
Digital montage \/ jacquard
270 \u00d7 358 cm

Courtesy the artist and Galerie Michael Janssen, Berlin

In Margret Eicher\u2019s work, traditional tapestry meets the artificially generated aesthetics of the modern information society. In the digital montage, rodents in spacesuits and flying saucers surround the pop icon Beyonc\u00e9, a Black Barbie, and Kenza Layli, a Moroccan lifestyle influencer who became the first Miss AI in 2024. Are they emissaries representing inclusion, diversity, and empowerment on a foreign planet? Or are they hyperreal simulations posing as mirages against the ruins of a failed utopia?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Cao Fei<\/strong>

Oz<\/em>, 2022
2-channel video installation, color, sound, two screens, speakers, artificial plants, bark mulch
Dimensions variable
1:36 min.
Ed. 1\/6 + 2 AP
Music: Ma Haiping

Courtesy Spr\u00fcth Magers and Vitamin Creative Space

The avatar Oz <\/em>was developed specifically for the metaverse in the work Duotopia<\/em>. With ist androgynous appearance and cyborg-like tentacles reminiscent of an octopus, Oz <\/em>embodies a nonbinary, fluid identity. The avatar radiates equanimity as it looks calmly and hopefully at existence in the metaverse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Robert Gabris<\/strong>

Insectopia<\/em>, 2020
Performance and installation: 10 insect \u201cautoprints,\u201d ink on silk, 2 swings, bamboo sticks, white bondage rope; 6 masks, bamboo sticks, string; performance artifacts on paper with body imprints
Dimensions variable

mumok \u2013 Museum moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien, 2024

The work of Robert Gabris centers on the human body, its capacity for transformation, and questions of identity. For this installation, he covered silk panels with impressions of his own body. The resulting silhouettes in black ink resemble oversized insect bodies. For Gabris, a member of the Roma community, this artistic process of transformation is also an act of resistance against racism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Keiken<\/strong>

Morphogenic Angels: Chapter 1<\/em>, 2023
HD PC game with Xbox controller, color, sound
Game duration ca. 50\u201370 min.

Courtesy the artists

In this interactive work, the Keiken collective (Tanya Cruz, Hana Omori, and Isabel Ramos) presents a postcapitalist future where humans acquire transhuman abilities through organic changes, giving them the consciousness of all human and nonhuman species. This immersive controller game tells the story of a romance between two avatars and explores technological developments in the metaverse as well as the utopian hopes attached to hybrid, nonbinary, and transhuman identities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Yinka Shonibare CBE RA<\/strong>

Refugee Astronaut XII<\/em>, 2025
Fiberglass sculpture, Dutch wax fabric, net, possessions, astronaut helmet, moon boots

Courtesy the artist

This life-size figure wears a space suit made of colorful Dutch wax fabric and carries various belongings on its back. The astronaut becomes a symbol of global migration, uprooting, and climate catastrophe, while also representing the Afrofuturist concept of seeking refuge in outer space. The work combines post-colonial criticism with a warning about the consequences of environmental destruction and unbridled growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Maja Smrekar<\/strong>

K-9_topology: Hybrid Family<\/em>, 2016
2 C-prints, framed

Courtesy Maja Smrekar and Manuel Vason

The \u201cmaking of kin\u201d between species is literally at the heart of this series. For several months, the artist went into isolation with her dogs. With her hormone balance altered through interventions, she breastfed the puppies. Smrekar\u2019s work is a feminist homage to Joseph Beuys\u2019s performance I Like America and America Likes Me <\/em>(1974) with a live coyote, while also directly implementing Donna Haraway\u2019s call for solidarity and responsibility between species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Rhoda Ting und Mikkel Bojesen<\/strong>

Mycogenesis<\/em>, 2021
Fungi, yeast, bacteria microbes, glass, resin, iron

Courtesy the artists

This living sculpture was created in collaboration with fungi, yeast, and bacteria. It raises questions about the meaning of intelligence beyond the human perspective of reason and rationality. Taking inspiration from fungi as a decentralized and symbiotic form of intelligence, Mycogenesis <\/em>focuses on sensual, embodied, and relational knowledge and paves the way for a speculative future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

P\u0131nar Yolda\u015f<\/strong>

An Ecosystem of Excess<\/em>, 2014 \u2013 fortlaufend
Installation, 3D print, glass vases, water, water pumps, LED lights, acrylic, wood, color, and vinyl

Courtesy the artist

There are currently over 150 million tons of plastic in our oceans. Can new life forms emerge under these precarious conditions? Based on global overconsumption, P\u0131nar Yolda\u015f has designed a posthuman ecosystem: the \u201cplastisphere.\u201d Featuring creatures that metabolize plastic, Yolda\u015f\u2019s work responds to the ecological disaster resulting from our consumer behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Utopia. The Right to Hope 27.09.2025 \u2013 11.01.2026 \u201cYou may say I\u2019m a dreamer, but I\u2019m not the only one,\u201d wrote John Lennon and Yoko Ono in the opening lines of \u201cImagine,\u201d one of the world\u2019s most famous songs. Though the song is more than half a century old, its vision of various utopian ideals […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"kunstmuseum_formatted_page_title":"","footnotes":""},"yoast_head":"\nUtopia. The Right to Hope \u2013 Texts - Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/utopia-texts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Utopia. The Right to Hope \u2013 Texts - Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Utopia. The Right to Hope 27.09.2025 \u2013 11.01.2026 \u201cYou may say I\u2019m a dreamer, but I\u2019m not the only one,\u201d wrote John Lennon and Yoko Ono in the opening lines of \u201cImagine,\u201d one of the world\u2019s most famous songs. Though the song is more than half a century old, its vision of various utopian ideals […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/utopia-texts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KunstmuseumWolfsburg\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-01T09:11:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@kunstmuseumwob\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"49 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/kunstmuseumwolfsburg\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/kunstmuseum-wolfsburg\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/KunstmuseumWolfsburg\",\"https:\/\/de.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kunstmuseum_Wolfsburg\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KunstmuseumWolfsburg\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kunstmuseumwob\"],\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/191125_KMW_Wortmarke_RGB_schwarz.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/191125_KMW_Wortmarke_RGB_schwarz.svg\",\"caption\":\"Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/utopia-texts\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/utopia-texts\/\",\"name\":\"Utopia. The Right to Hope \u2013 Texts - Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-11T12:39:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-01T09:11:11+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/utopia-texts\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/utopia-texts\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/utopia-texts\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Startseite\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Utopia. The Right to Hope \u2013 Texts\"}]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Utopia. The Right to Hope \u2013 Texts - Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/utopia-texts\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Utopia. The Right to Hope \u2013 Texts - Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg","og_description":"Utopia. The Right to Hope 27.09.2025 \u2013 11.01.2026 \u201cYou may say I\u2019m a dreamer, but I\u2019m not the only one,\u201d wrote John Lennon and Yoko Ono in the opening lines of \u201cImagine,\u201d one of the world\u2019s most famous songs. Though the song is more than half a century old, its vision of various utopian ideals […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/utopia-texts\/","og_site_name":"Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KunstmuseumWolfsburg","article_modified_time":"2025-10-01T09:11:11+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@kunstmuseumwob","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"49 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/#organization","name":"Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg","url":"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/kunstmuseumwolfsburg\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/kunstmuseum-wolfsburg\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/KunstmuseumWolfsburg","https:\/\/de.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kunstmuseum_Wolfsburg","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KunstmuseumWolfsburg","https:\/\/twitter.com\/kunstmuseumwob"],"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/191125_KMW_Wortmarke_RGB_schwarz.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/191125_KMW_Wortmarke_RGB_schwarz.svg","caption":"Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/","name":"Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/utopia-texts\/","url":"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/utopia-texts\/","name":"Utopia. The Right to Hope \u2013 Texts - Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-09-11T12:39:58+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-01T09:11:11+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/utopia-texts\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/utopia-texts\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/utopia-texts\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Startseite","item":"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Utopia. The Right to Hope \u2013 Texts"}]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/31429"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31429"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/31429\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31760,"href":"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/31429\/revisions\/31760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kunstmuseum.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}