Kosmologiska Pilar / Cosmological Arrows

What will be the future of our planet and what responsibility do we take for our actions? What does it actually mean to be human? ”Cosmological Arrows” gathers a group of contemporary artists who use science fiction and space to pose fundamental questions about humankind’s existence and how we treat the world we live in. The works highlight concepts and visions that freely traverse subjects such as astronomy, the environment, gender, colonization, futurism and artificial intelligence. The title of the book and eponymous exhibition at Bonniers Konsthall in Stockholm, "Cosmological Arrows," is loosely borrowed from the book "A Brief History of Time," by Stephen Hawking. When we locate a thought in outer space, our given concepts of time and space are overturned. This exhibition and publication wishes to be a springboard for artistic ideas and visions that challenge our usual way of seeing the world, perhaps also suggesting new approaches on how to understand it. These thoughts permeate the artworks and texts presented in "Cosmological Arrows" where space and the science fiction genre are an imaginary laboratory that becomes the point of departure for discussions regarding the ethical, moral and existential dilemmas of our times. The book contains texts by Caroline Elgh Klingborg, Jerry Määttä, Mahan Moalemi, and Cecilia Åsberg, as well as short stories by Aleksandr Bogdanov, Ted Chiang, Karin Tidbeck and Alice B. Sheldon/James Tiptree Jr. and artworks by Agnieszka Brzezanska, Allora & Calzadilla, Anna Hoetjes, Arseny Zhilyaev & Asya Volodina, Brittany Nelson, Caroline Mesquita, Debora Elgeholm, Johannes Heldén, Jone Kvie, Larissa Sansour, Lawrence Lek, Lea Porsager, and Lee Bul.