In the face of a world characterized by multiple crises, the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg dares to look to the future: With the large-scale exhibition Utopia. Right to Hope explores the question of how art can open up a space for thinking, dreaming and acting. Between climate catastrophe, political conflicts, global refugee movements and increasing mistrust of democratic structures, it seems more urgent than ever to formulate perspectives beyond fear and resignation.
The project understands utopia not as a large, closed social concept, but as the sum of many micro-utopias that can create hope and initiate concrete changes. The focus is on works by international artists and collectives who propose alternative models of coexistence in their installations, films, photographs or expansive objects. The focus is just as much on social justice and the visibility of marginalized groups as it is on new forms of dealing with nature, technology and resources.
Muoto architectes & Georgi Stanishev + Clémence La Sagna, Ball Theater - La fête n'est pas finie, 2023, steel, other materials, installation view, 18th Venice Architecture Biennale, © Muoto architectes & Georgi Stanishev, Photo: Schnepp Renou
Works by Olafur Eliasson, Otobong Nkanga and Tomás Saraceno, for example, explore the interactions between people and the environment. Others, such as Yael Bartana, Rory Pilgrim or Marina Naprushkina, focus on collective processes and activist strategies that see art as an instrument of social renewal. Projects from the fields of architecture and design - such as Muoto architectes or Terreform ONE - expand the discourse to include practice-oriented scenarios for sustainable living spaces.
With around 60 artistic positions, the exhibition unfolds a polyphonic panorama between critical analysis and visionary design. "Utopia" is thus not presented as an unattainable fantasy, but as an urgent right to hope - as an invitation to actively shape the future with creativity and solidarity.
September 27, 2025 to January 11, 2026
www.kunstmuseum.de/ausstellung/utopia-recht-auf-hoffnung/
Keiken, Morphogenic Angels, 2023, HD PC game with Xbox controller, duration approx. 50-70 min, installation view, Choose your Player, © Zeppelin Museum Friedrichshafen, Photo: Markus Tretter
