Space Race

The Kunsthaus’s programme focus for the year, Outer Spaces, implies a journey beyond the known and accepted, venturing into the exploration of scientific, philosophical, and interdisciplinary concepts of space, time and human perception.

Outer space – as space that extends beyond our grasp, beyond our knowledge – is still one of the central subjects of human inquiry and a concept that has always fuelled human imagination. There is rarely a culture that did not develop a special relationship to the universe and the stars. Science, mythologies and religions were inspired by celestial observation and ideas about space. It seems that the outer space still serves today as a catalyst for imagination and fiction, but also – more vehemently than ever – for power and dominance.

The group exhibition, with the title Space Race, will explore ideas about the construction, examination and perception of space. These ideas are often explored through minimalist and conceptual art practices, and these artistic explorations of space provide an important point of departure for considering how space is also socially, politically, and economically constructed. The other important aspect of the exhibition will be to explore the social implications of space: the idea that space has always been subject to ownership. Initial ideas about the outer space being collectively owned and used for non-military purposes seem to be crumbling. As resources on Earth become increasingly scarce, new space programmes are fuelled not only by human curiosity but also by the desire to access new territories and resources. The ultimate race for power in space is already in full swing.

Kunsthaus Graz is in the year 2027 developing a programme that is evolving around the concept of space. Our exploration will trace how our perception and understanding of space have changed – from viewing space as a stage to recognizing space as a process – participatory and dynamic. In collaboration with the Institute of Physics and the Department of Philosophy at the University of Graz, we will adopt an interdisciplinary approach to examine how ideas in physics, philosophy, art and theory can correspond, enrich and deepen our understanding of space, how they can critically reflect current social developments related to the exploration of space, and at the same time fuel our imaginaries.