Tomás Saraceno: Our Interplanetary Bodies

The Asia Culture Center is proud to present the South Korean premier of acclaimed artist Tomás Saraceno, who presents his newly commissioned solo exhibition Our Interplanetary Bodies at ACC Creation, Space 1, from the July 15 through March 25, 2018.

Initially studying architecture in Argentina, Saraceno then trained as an artist at Städelschule, Frankfurt, Germany, where he developed his ongoing multi-disciplinary artistic exploration into quasi-feasible utopia, spanning across different study fields. Saraceno is internationally renowned for his intense collaboration with aerospace engineers, biologists, and physicists, taking research into astrophysics, thermodynamics, as well as the structures of spider webs, to concretize social, ecological and futurological issues that are often too baffling to be visualized.

Saraceno’s series “Cloud Cities” is a post-national modular city floating above the clouds, which draws on sustainable, freely floating forms of habitats. Aerocene is a trans-disciplinary project operating with and in the air. The Aerocene sculptures rely only on the energy from the sun and the propelling of the wind. Activated in aerosolar performances—journeys, the project attempts to form a community in imagination for a new topography that originates in climatology. The earth-bound aerocenic orbits posit an alternative way of thinking about our place in, and interaction with in- and out-er space. In addition, Saraceno continues his research into the woven habitats of spiders, suggesting a move away from anthropocentric thinking towards an ethical vision of various other forms of life, with whom we share our planet. With these works, Saraceno conducts experiments to pave novel ways to move and dwell for a better future, relying on the notion that we live nestled within an infinitely complex and interconnected cosmic web.

Saraceno’s exhibition, Our Interplanetary Bodies is especially planned for Asia Culture Center’s Space 1 (2,317 square meters, 16m high). The exhibition is composed of nine gigantic, spherical sculptures emitting subtle light. Meanwhile, a large-scaled video projection displays the real-time movement of cosmic dust in the air, whilst a sound system transforms this movement into an audio-spatial experience that is further augmented by the exquisite acoustic composition of low frequency sound, created by the subtle movement and vibration of a Nephila spider.

“What is post-colonial history of the space, and how can Aerocene help to de-colonialize it?,” “Where does the space start?,” “How are we embedded as a part of the cosmic web?,” “How do we fly with our feet on the ground?” These questions are posed by Saraceno in his exhibition, appealing not to science fiction or fairytale fantasy, but to the possibility of realizing his utopian vision for the not-so-distant future. In Our Interplanetary Bodies, the audience spontaneously becomes a part of the cosmic web, watching cosmic dust dancing, wandering amidst the monumental sculptural works and savoring the magical performance of Arachnea. Saraceno makes phenomena of the mysterious Universe sensible through an organic and poetic consilience of contemporary art and different disciplines. The exhibition Our Interplanetary Bodies thus proposes creative contemplation on the more-than-human relationship and the cosmic becoming.

Tomás Saraceno (b.1973, Argentina)
Tomás Saraceno’s oeuvre can be seen as a form of ongoing research, informed by the worlds of art, architecture, natural sciences, astrophysics and engineering; his floating sculptures, community projects and interactive installations propose and explore new, sustainable ways of inhabiting and sensing the environment. Saraceno attended the International Space Studies Program at NASA Ames and has been awarded the Calder Prize. His work has been widely exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in international institutions including Solutions COP21, Grand Palais, Paris; NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore; 21er Haus, Belvedere, Vienna (all 2015); the 53rd Venice Biennale, Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen K21, Düsseldorf (2013–ongoing); The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (2012); Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin (2011–12), among others. Saraceno’s work is included in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art, New York; SFMOMA, San Francisco; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Berlin; among others.

Artist talk 
July 14, 3pm, Conference Hall, ACC Archive & Research B2
Moderator: Pai Hyung-min (Professor, University of Seoul, Architecture Dept.)

Organized by Asia Culture Center
Produced by Asia Culture Institute
Curated by Sung Won Kim (Artistic Director, ACC Creation)