Unpredictable

Curated by Barbara Pollack and Anne Verhallen

Forecasting the future is an antiquated practice.   In the past,  astrologers,  political analysts,  futurologists and visionaries took the month of December to deliver their anticipatory news about what would happen in the year to come.  2020 defeated all of them.   Most believed that a global pandemic was still the stuff of science fiction movies.  Ditto global warming.  As for politics,  whether it was Brexit or the US election or the rise of authoritarian leaders around the world,  many worried but few knew the outcomes.

Looking to the New Year, we have selected seven artists who are contemporary Futurists to offer their visions of the years to come,  looking beyond 2021 for a long-term prognosis.  Some view the present as an X-ray of a fatal condition,  especially those concerned with global warming.  Others analyze technology or space exploration as false promises of hope.  Finally,  there are those who offer that the very term,  “THE FUTURE”,   breaks down in the face of diverse histories. In other words, this is a fractured view of things to come with only one constant throughout: the future of today is unknowable and unpredictable.  

There are reasons to be hopeful--vaccinations and inaugurations.  But we also must adjust to a  New Normal. Is it just the promise that we will continue wearing masks?  Or can it  be a world of activism,  empowerment and change?  Take out your telescopes and crystal balls and see if you can see the future.