News from Nowhere: Zurich Laboratory

Art and participation

The Korean artists MOON Kyungwon & JEON Joonho make work that addresses elemental questions concerning contemporary civilization in light of political, socioeconomic, and ecological changes. The exhibition project “News from Nowhere” that they initiated jointly in 2012 is premised on a postapocalyptic scenario: humanity has been almost entirely wiped out and is forced to reconsider long-held convictions that may no longer be tenable. The project premiered at Documenta (13) and is designed as a steadily evolving ensemble. MOON & JEON have established an interdisciplinary and participatory platform where renowned experts from the fields of product and fashion design, architecture, urban planning, and medical and biotechnology research discuss the urgent issues of our time with the audience. For the exhibition “News from Nowhere: Zurich Laboratory” at the Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, MOON & JEON have invited Urban-Think Tank and the Future Cities Laboratory, two hubs for visionary thinking affiliated with ETH Zurich, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. The thematic focus is on the constitution and construction of communities. To approach these topics, the artists and their collaborators have transformed the gallery into a place of interaction and communication.

This monographic publication accompanies the exhibition and delivers an in-depth exploration of MOON & JEON’s project “News from Nowhere.” The book presents a comprehensive overview of the former exhibition stations in Kassel and Chicago alongside documentation of the project’s realization in Zurich. In addition the book contains discussions about the role and function of art in our contemporary world, ranging from cultural to economical questions.

Published with Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Zurich.