What will the future of humans be like in the dynamically changing world – in our ever more technologically advanced daily lives, at a time of global challenges, and in a reality full of opportunities that are as much fascinating as terrifying? This question will be answered by artists from Poland, Ukraine and the UK. The winning submissions – photographs, installations, objects and sound projects – will be shown at exhibitions in selected European cities in 2021-2022. The project will be an opportunity to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Stanisław Lem next year.

The concept of the exhibition refers to The Futurological Congress by the Polish writer, Stanisław Lem. In 2021, it will be exactly 50 years since the work was published in Lem’s collection of short stories Insomnia. The questions posed by the story have not lost pertinence, and most of them remain unanswered.

As Barbara Schabowska, Director of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, explains: “The question ‘What Next?’ in the project title is one about how we imagine the future of the world as we know it today. How will it change under the influence of the fast growing technologies? How will humans find themselves in it? Will they need to compete for their position in the key spheres of life with the power of artificial intelligence? Is our own idea of the future compatible with how it was perceived by utopians and futurists decades ago? What emotions does this stir in artists? What is the place of art in this vision and what is its emergent role?”

The call for submissions is addressed to artists from Poland, Ukraine and the UK. The choice of these countries will be key to picturing the topics explored from various perspectives and to building a comprehensive narrative. Whilst photography will be the principal medium of the exhibition, the show as a whole will have an interdisciplinary nature and will seek to arouse sensory experience. Therefore other forms, such as installations, objects or sound works are welcome.

The exhibition will be curated by Max Houghton (UK), Kateryna Radchenko (UA) and Katarzyna Sagatowska (PL).

Learn more and apply HERE.