0xCollection's Cosmic Knots Exhibition at Art Basel 2026
0xCollection, located in Basel, has unveiled plans for Cosmic Knots, an exhibition inspired by physics, set for Art Basel 2026. This event references a proposal from December 2025 by Hiroshima University physicists, suggesting that two types of cosmic strings intertwined post-Big Bang, creating stable topological knots that initially governed the universe's energy before transitioning into matter-antimatter asymmetry. The exhibition posits that topology takes precedence over identity, with the knot being fundamental. It also presents an institutional critique, asserting that certain artworks function similarly to cosmic knots, existing prior to their documentation and challenging the frameworks of measurement, visibility, and reproducibility that contemporary culture uses to transform experiences into exchange value. The show will investigate art's potential to exist outside these frameworks.
Key facts
- 0xCollection is based in Basel.
- Cosmic Knots is scheduled for Art Basel 2026.
- The exhibition is inspired by a December 2025 proposal from Hiroshima University physicists.
- The proposal describes two species of cosmic string forming topological knots after the Big Bang.
- These knots briefly dominated the energy budget of the newborn universe.
- The knots decayed to produce matter-antimatter asymmetry.
- The exhibition's philosophical premise is that topology precedes identity.
- The exhibition argues that some art operates structurally like the cosmic knot, resisting documentation and exchange value.
Entities
Institutions
- 0xCollection
- Art Basel
- Hiroshima University
Locations
- Basel
- Switzerland
- Hiroshima
- Japan