A Fair Share of Utopia at NEST and CBK Zuidoost

Artists: Brook Andrew, Raul Balai, Simphiwe Ndzube, Müge Yilmaz, Claudia Martínez Garay, Femke Herregraven, Ghana ThinkTank x AiRich, Nástio Mosquito, Marianne Nicolson

Exhibition title: A Fair Share of Utopia

Curated by: Manon Braat

Venue: NEST, The Hague and CBK Zuidoost, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Date: September 3 – November 22, 2020

Photography: all images copyright and courtesy of the artists, NEST and CBK Zuidoost

‘If you would die today and reincarnate one generation later, in what world would you want to be born, regardless of where or who you are?’ This is the question posed to the artists of ‘A Fair Share of Utopia’ and inspired them to create new works for Nest and CBK Zuidoost.

Can you put your own interests aside and really fight for a better world in the interest of future generations, or is it easier if you imagine yourself to be part of that unknown future? In her essay “What if We’re All Coming Back?” in The New York Times of October 2018, human rights lawyer Michelle Alexander tries to imagine the world you would end up in if you were to reincarnate at a random place and under random circumstances.

Nearly half the world – more than three billion people – live on less than 2.50 dollar a day. The vast majority of the world’s population is non-white and about half are women. Global warming is causing great damage to air, land and oceans, with far-reaching consequences for human and animal life. And so, according to Alexander, there is a good chance that you would return as a woman of color living on less than USD 2.50 a day in an environment ravaged by natural disasters such as hurricanes, tsunamis and extreme droughts, suffering from water and food shortages. Surrounded by more and more detention centers and border walls to prevent the growing number of people looking for better living conditions from finding them.

What do human rights, freedom, democracy, citizenship and equality mean in the context of an existence in which your daily reality is a fight for security, sufficient food and clean drinking water?

Her essay is at basis of the exhibition. Out of this thought experiment, to imagine a fundamentally different, sustainable and more humane organization of society, the artists speculate about an unknown future of which they themselves are part. Through this exercise in imagination, the exhibition offers proposals for alternative ways of dealing with each other and with the earth.

Artists at Nest: Brook Andrew, Raul Balai, Simphiwe Ndzube, Müge Yilmaz

Artists at CBK Zuidoost: Claudia Martínez Garay, Femke Herregraven, Ghana ThinkTank x AiRich, Nástio Mosquito, Marianne Nicolson

The exhibition ‘A Fair Share of Utopia’ is accompanied by the publication ‘Wat Niet Is Maar Kan Zijn’, in which ten writers and nine artists explore the possibility of putting their own interests aside for a better world for future generations. They speculate about an unknown future of which they themselves are part. The book is published by publisher Jurgen Maas in collaboration with online art platform Mister Motley. With contributions from the artists and essays by: Michelle Alexander, René ten Bos, Dean Bowen, Sander Donkers, Clarice Gargard, Sisonke Msimang, Rashid Novaire, Vamba Sherif, Jan van de Venis and Louwrien Wijers.

Opening Thursday 3rd of September, CBK Zuidoost

Opening Friday 4th of September, Nest

A Fair Share of Utopia is an initiative of Nest in collaboration with CBK Zuidoost.

The exhibition is at both institutions accompanied by an extensive context programme.

Keep an eye on the agenda from Nest and CBK Zuidoost for more information.