Can you put your own interests aside and really fight for a better world in the interest of future generations, or is it easier if you imagine yourself to be part of that unknown future? In her essay 'What if We’re All Coming Back?' in The New York Times of October 2018, human rights lawyer Michelle Alexander tries to imagine the world you would end up in if you were to reincarnate at a random place and under random circumstances.
Her essay forms the basis of the exhibition. Out of this thought experiment aimed at imagining a fundamentally different, sustainable and more humane organization of society, the artists speculate about an unknown future of which they themselves are part. Through this exercise in imagination, the exhibition offers proposals for alternative ways of dealing with each other and with the earth.
Curated by Manon Braat the exhibition in The Hague presents the works of Simphiwe Ndzube, Brook Andrew, Raul Balai and Müge Yilmaz. Ghana ThinkTank x AiRich and Nástio Mosquito, as well as Claudia Martínez Garay, Femke Herregraven and Marianne Nicolson are participating in the exhibition in Amsterdam.
The exhibition is accompanied by the publication ‘Wat Niet Is Maar Kan Zijn’, in which ten writers and nine artists explore the possibility of putting their own interests aside for a better world for future generations. The book is published by Jurgen Maas in collaboration with online art platform Mister Motley.
The publication includes contributions from the artists and essays by the speaker of the 2019 ZAM Nelson Mandela Lecture Sisonke Msimang as well as Michelle Alexander, René ten Bos, Dean Bowen, Sander Donkers, Clarice Gargard, Rashid Novaire, Vamba Sherif, Jan van de Venis and Louwrien Wijers.
A Fair Share of Utopia is an initiative of Nest in collaboration with CBK Zuidoost Amsterdam
The exhibition is presented at both institutions, and is accompanied by an extensive content programme. More information here and here.
