Planet B

In this exhibition, 100 artists, designers, architects, researchers and entrepreneurs presented their utopias for the 22nd century and artistically addressed the dramatic changes shaping our planet. More than 60 million people are currently displaced; climate change is endangering the equitable distribution of natural resources and public security. Religious fervour and outrage toward dissidents have seldom been so great. These are the themes and conflicts which the participating artists in the exhibition have been exploring. The centrepiece was a large-scale room installation by the Düsseldorf artists' collective Labour Fou, which hosted an artist-in-residence programme for the duration of the entire exhibition. The Swiss concept-art duo "Atelier für Sonderaufgaben" (Studio for Special Tasks) created social and political interventions in public space. Hörner/Antlfinger developed a project together with refugees. And the French photographer Constantin Schlachter presented his nature photos as visions of the future. The designer Kathryn Fleming used animal taxidermies to create fictitious, yet remarkably realistic-looking animal forms which have been optimised for life in the future. The exhibition steadily evolved over time; the displays and installations have been successively redesigned and supplemented by contributions from the participating artists and exhibition goers.

Artistic director: Alain Bieber
Cultural manager: Joanna Szlauderbach
Artists: Hörner/Antlfinger, Labor Fou, Atelier für Sonderaufgaben (CH), Brad Downey (US/DE), Ben J. Riepe, Kathryn Fleming (US), Mathieu Tremblin (FR), Alvaro Urbano (ES/DE), Eric Winkler, Valentina Karga (GR/DE), Constantin Schlachter