Milchstrassenverkehrsordnung

Milchstrassenverkehrsordnung (Milky Way Traffic Regulations) is a term that appears in a Kafkaesque way in Stanislaw Lem’s novel Lokaltermin.

Space industry is outbidding itself with ever new record reports, a new space age seems to have begun, and specialists from leading countries agree: the future of mankind lies in space.

The theme of the exhibition refers to the hope recently expressed by Elon Musk that we are currently at the beginning of a new chapter in the history of mankind (after Musk shot a Tesla Roadster into space in February 2018 as part of the testing of his SpaceX rocket). The idea of these experiments is as follows: The colonization of space, the moon, Mars and possibly other planets, promises an advanced utopia for Homo sapiens. Since the second half of the 20th century, a variety of scientific concepts, political expectations, and artistic and literary fictions have nurtured notions that there might be practical ways for mankind to take their abode outside Earth. 

The exhibition takes a critical look at the so-called “New Space era” and also considers the afrofuturistic science fiction concepts of the 1970s, as initiated by the American free jazz activist group Sun Ra and his Arkestra. Sun Ra’s formula “Space is the place” can be interpreted as his artistic response to the revolutionary socialist strategies of the “Black Panther Party for Self-Defense” (founded in 1966), with which Sun Ra, under the conditions of the growing tensions between black and white in the US, had entered into a persistent controversy rejecting violence with regard to the question of possible future perspectives of people who were not represented, but excluded and suppressed because of the colour of their skin.

The exhibition presents works of painting, photography, drawings, objects, videos, record covers and sounds and will be accompanied by an extensive catalogue book in German language.

Guy Allott (Great Britain) / Andreas Ammer, Andreas Gerth, Martin Gretschmann (Germany) / Song-Ming Ang (Singapore) / Lucas Folder Celinski (Brazil) / Vincent Fournier (France) / Gregor Hildebrandt (Germany) / Via Lewandowsky (Germany) / Bjørn Melhus (Germany) / Nik Nowak (Germany) / Johan Österholm (Sweden) / Thomas Ravens (Germany) / Nik Raicevic aka Nik Pascal (USA) / Gerd Rohling (Germany) / Igor Sacharow-Ross (Russia / Germany) / Bettina Scholz (Germany) / Annette Schröter (Germany) / Sebastian Szary (Germany) / Jared Theis (USA) / Saverio Tonoli (Italy) / Brigitte Waldach (Germany) / Aribert von Ostrowski (Germany)

Open studios
The exhibition opening on August 1 will be accompanied by Open Studios of the artists in the International Studio Programme between 7 and 10pm.

The following artists will be looking forward to give insight into their current projects and practice:
Aline Bouvy (Luxemburg), Pim Blokker (Netherlands), Hyelim Cha (South Korea), Chen Che-Wei (Taiwan), Shoufay Derz (Australia), Sara Issakharian (Iran), Julia Jalowiec (USA), Stelios Kallinikou (Cyprus), Talya Lubinsky (South Africa), Johann Lurf (Austria), Hajime Mizutani (Japan), Noa Nahari (Israel), Irina Ojovan (Moldavia), Marianna Olague (USA), Emi Otaguro (Japan), Biljana Popovic (New Zealand), Anika Schwarzlose (Netherlands), Mikael Christian Strøbek (Denmark), Anna Rún Tryggvadóttir (Iceland), Igor Vidor (Brazil), Jorge Villarreal (USA) 

Side programme to Milchstrassenverkehrsordnung:
August 2, 7pm 
Lecture by Jeannot Simmen (in German): “Finster war’s. Der Mond schien helle. Kosmos-Utopien und Irdisches Paradies” 

September 5, 7pm 
Driftmachine (Andreas Gerth + Florian Zimmer) + Andreas Ammer

September 15, 7pm
Jens Balzer, book presentation Das entfesselte Jahrzehnt. Sound and Spirit of the 70’s and DJ set

Free admission to the exhibition and all related events!