Carsten Nicolai's 'Atlas Borealis' at Pinksummer Genoa: Chance and Cosmos

At Pinksummer gallery in Genoa, Carsten Nicolai presents 'Atlas Borealis', a series of works that overlay six red circles onto plates from the 1950 celestial atlas by Czech astronomer Antonín Bečvář. Each circle encloses a randomly chosen constellation, selected by the artist based on lottery numbers. The exhibition runs until September 15, 2026, at Piazza Matteotti, 28R. Nicolai's gesture introduces chance into the historically ordered representation of the sky, echoing John Cage's use of the same atlas for aleatoric compositions. The work engages with ideas of hyperobjects as theorized by Timothy Morton, the paradoxes of set theory discussed by Bertrand Russell, and the dialectic between rule and play explored by Debord. The series includes twenty-four drawings, each with six circles, totaling 144 constellations. Nicolai's practice also references his earlier series 'Formula' (2016-2018), which transfers mathematical formulas onto gesso-prepared canvases, and 'Void' (2002), a work featuring glass and chrome tubes said to contain an imprisoned sound. The exhibition is curated by Vittorio Rossi in collaboration with DLA Design Lab, with photos by Alice Moschin. Nicolai's work suggests that chance, when governed by method, may be the only tool to grasp the vastness of the universe, challenging Einstein's deterministic view.