Tomás Saraceno's 'Ancestral Futures' Opens at Haus der Kunst

Berlin-based artist Tomás Saraceno, originally from Argentina and born in 1973, is set to unveil his most extensive exhibition yet at Munich's Haus der Kunst. Opening in July, 'Ancestral Futures' will occupy the entire venue, showcasing air-powered sculptures, multispecies habitats, and spatial environments that redefine the museum's layout. The exhibition focuses on two primary research themes: Aerocene and Arachnophilia. Established by Saraceno in 2015, Aerocene is an interdisciplinary initiative exploring emission-free travel utilizing air, solar energy, and infrared. Notably, the Aerocene Pacha flight in Argentina set 32 world records in 2020, covering 1.7 km in 21 minutes as the most sustainable flight ever. Arachnophilia includes ongoing studies on spiders, highlighted by 'World(ing)WideWeb(s).Life' (2023), a silk network resembling spider webs. New installations, like 'Towards the Sanctuary of Water,' were developed with 11 Indigenous communities from the Red Atacama network in Salinas Grandes, Argentina. Andrea Lissoni, the Artistic Director of Haus der Kunst, remarked that Saraceno's work transforms the building into a platform for addressing ecological and social issues beyond the exhibition itself. This event marks a new chapter for Haus der Kunst, which has been emphasizing artists who create fresh perspectives on a digitized world since 2022.