Utopia/Dystopia

The show at MAAT in Lisbon presents side by side the works of artists and architects who have produced insights and critical reflections on crucial themes of our times.

“Utopia/Dystopia – A Paradigm Shift”, exhibition view, MAAT, Lisbon, 2017. Courtesy EDP Foundation
“Utopia/Dystopia – A Paradigm Shift”, is the first “manifesto exhibition” at MAAT’s new building. Establishing a dialogue with the site-specific commissions at the museum’s Oval Gallery, these group show presents side by side the works of artists and architects who, in their respective fields, have produced insights and critical reflections on crucial themes of our times. Echoing the 500th anniversary of Thomas More’s Utopia, the show reveals how the dichotomy between utopia and dystopia reflects a time of paradoxical acceleration, where anxiety and optimism collide.

 

Today, technological developments stimulate expectations of enhanced connectivity and a better quality of life. However, cyclical crises also constantly disturb the social, political and ecological spheres. With utopian and dystopian narratives typically emerging in such troubled periods, artists and architects, writers or filmmakers are crucial in proposing contradictions and proposing illuminating new possibilities. Encompassing a wide range of ideas, from a profound reflexion on the downfall of Modernism to the current political scene, “Utopia/Dystopia” promotes a dialogue between more than 60 artworks and projects that present unique views on the subject since the early 1970s.

“Utopia/Dystopia – A Paradigm Shift”, exhibition view, MAAT, Lisbon, 2017. Courtesy EDP Foundation
“Utopia/Dystopia – A Paradigm Shift”, exhibition view, MAAT, Lisbon, 2017. Courtesy EDP Foundation

until 21 August 2017
Utopia/Dystopia – A Paradigm Shift
curated by Pedro Gadanho, João Laia and Susana Ventura
MAAT
Av. Brasília, Central Tejo, Lisbon

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