Reverse Futures Exhibition at JCAF Challenges Technological Determinism

The Joburg Contemporary Art Foundation (JCAF) in Johannesburg presents 'Reverse Futures', curated by Clive Kellner as the final chapter of the 'Worldmaking' trilogy. The exhibition, on view from December 5, 2026, interrogates the assumption that technology alone shapes the future, arguing that visions of tomorrow are rooted in histories, power structures, and diverse knowledge systems. Featured artists include Kate Crawford and Vladan Joler with 'Calculating Empires', a monumental diagram tracing five centuries of calculation, empire, and labor; Yinka Shonibare with 'Refugee Astronaut X', reimagining the astronaut as a refugee; and Etel Adnan with 'Satellites 27', offering a contemplative view of the cosmos. Other works include Kamil Adam Hassim's 'Event Horizon', blending physics and |Xam cosmology; Ernest Mancoba's 'Untitled (1971)', asserting African abstraction; Cave_bureau's reconstruction of Shimoni Slave Caves; Georgia Munnik's scent-based 'Concrete Jasmine'; Paula Gaetano Adi's robotic 'Guanaquerx' informed by Andean cosmologies; and Traci Kwaai's 'Fisher Child', preserving oral histories with fishing communities. The exhibition argues that progress depends not on technological innovation alone but on broadening what counts as knowledge, including Indigenous cosmologies, sensory experience, and oral tradition.