Dystopia is no longer merely a speculative projection of the future but has increasingly become a condition of the present. Climate collapse, mass extinction, geopolitical conflict, the rise of authoritarianism, and deepening social inequalities have transformed dystopian imaginaries into lived realities. In recent years, a growing number of exhibitions have taken the tension between utopia and dystopia as a central curatorial framework, reflecting on the role of contemporary art in times of overlapping crises.
This symposium brings together curators and scholars to discuss the challenges and possibilities of curating in dystopian times. How do exhibitions respond to the multiple crises of the present? What narratives, methodologies, and forms of public engagement emerge when dystopia becomes a curatorial condition rather than a fictional scenario?
Participants: Dino Steinhof and Sebastian Mühl (Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg), Mi You (Documenta Institut)(tbc), Sven Spieker (University of California, Santa Barbara), and Sophie Witt (Universität Hamburg).
Moderated by: Mario Asef
Symposium: October 10, 3 pm / Flutgraben – Projektraum
Photo: Exhibition view Utopia: The Right to Hope, Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg © 2025