Science Fiction

Part of the acclaimed series of anthologies which document major themes and ideas in contemporary art.

A timely and engaging set of writings for those wanting to critically reflect and build upon the relationships between science fiction and contemporary art.

In the past two decades, artists and writers have increasingly adopted the idea that science fiction can be understood as a lens through which to search for fragments of truth emerging from the past or the future, and the proliferation of science fiction in contemporary art practice and discourse reflects an increased understanding of how this narrative field continues to grow in relevance. Split into four distinct approaches, ‘estrangement’, ‘futures’, ‘posthumanism’ and ‘ecologies’, this unique collection gathers key examples of the influence of science fiction in recent cultural development: from the integration and acceleration of technological change, to global urbanisation and concepts of futurity; from the boundaries of social structures and non-human life, to the threatening self-evidence of climate change. This book is the first major anthology to focus on relationships between science fiction and contemporary art, and is an essential read for all those exploring this vital genre.

Artists surveyed include Denenge Akpem, Laylah Ali, Allora & Calzadilla, Pawel Althamer, Carol Bove, Lee Bul, Mark Dion, Jimmie Durham, Ellen Gallagher, Robert Gober, Eduardo Kac, Mikhail Karikis, Patrick Keiller, Karen Kilimnik, Jeff Koons, Moon Kyungwon and Jeon Joonho, Lawrence Lek, Paul Mc-Carthy, Mariko Mori, David Musgrave, Otolith Group, Eduardo Paolozzi, Kiki Smith, Sun Ra, Suzanne Treister, Jeff Wall.

Writers include Peio Aguirre, Margaret Atwood, J.G. Ballard, Tiffany E. Barber, Jean Baudrillard, Franco ‘Bifo’ Beradi, Rosie Braidotti, Rachel Carson, Jeffrey Deitch, Donna Haraway, Cathy Lane, Amna Malik, Tom McCarthy, Alondra Nelson, Gwyneth Shanks, Jan Tumlir, Xin Wang, Gilda Williams.