Interview: Christophe Kihm and Peter Szendy on the Museum of Extraterrestrial Art
In the May-June-July 2012 edition of art press 2 n°25 titled "Cyborg," Christophe Kihm and Peter Szendy explore the origins of the Musée de l'art extraterrestre, which stems from Renaud Loda's Master's thesis (2010) and Szendy's work Kant chez les extraterrestres. A precursor event took place at the Palais de Tokyo in 2011, leading to the LiveInYourHead exhibition in Geneva. The museum characterizes extraterrestrial art as creations by both aliens and humans from beyond Earth, showcasing pieces such as Nicolas Boulard's crop circle census and Gordon Shumway's artwork. It draws inspiration from the Voyager Golden Record (1977) and Scrambles of Earth (2010), while also contrasting with the 2008 Martian Museum of Terrestrial Life and promoting afrofuturism through artists like Peter Hutchinson and Robert Smithson.
Key facts
- Interview published in art press 2 n°25 'Cyborg' (May-June-July 2012).
- Museum of Extraterrestrial Art originated from Renaud Loda's Master's thesis (2010, HEAD Geneva) and Peter Szendy's book 'Kant chez les extraterrestres'.
- Preliminary event held at Palais de Tokyo in 2011 as part of Reboot cycle.
- Exhibition 'LiveInYourHead' in Geneva formally established the museum.
- Museum defines extraterrestrial art as art by aliens and art by humans beyond Earth.
- Includes Nicolas Boulard's crop circle census and Gordon Shumway's paintings (ALF).
- References Voyager Golden Record (1977) and 'Scrambles of Earth' (2010).
- Contrasts with 2008 exhibition 'Martian Museum of Terrestrial Life' at Barbican Art Gallery.
- Embraces afrofuturism (Sun Ra, George Clinton) to avoid exoticizing gazes.
- Key artists: Peter Hutchinson, Robert Smithson, Piero Manzoni.
Entities
Artists
- Christophe Kihm
- Peter Szendy
- Renaud Loda
- Nicolas Boulard
- Gordon Shumway
- Peter Hutchinson
- Robert Smithson
- Piero Manzoni
- Sun Ra
- George Clinton
- Francesco Manacorda
- Lydia Yee
- Roland Emmerich
- Rudolph Maté
- Ridley Scott
- Byron Haskin
- Immanuel Kant
- Edmund Husserl
- Ludwig van Beethoven
Institutions
- HEAD Geneva
- Palais de Tokyo
- Barbican Art Gallery
- art press
- Art in America
Locations
- Geneva
- Switzerland
- Paris
- France
- London
- United Kingdom
Sources
- artpress —