Inke Arns

Inke Arns will present speculative projections of the future and current developments in the field of digital technologies by artists and inventors from different countries in Africa, the African diaspora and many other actors in the USA and Europe.

The project examines science-fiction narratives and concepts of technology that function according to their own rules rather than conforming with dominant western narratives. A key source of inspiration for the artworks on display is Afrofuturism, a movement that emerged in the mid-twentieth century against the backdrop of the African-American community's historical experience of racism and discrimination. Telling tales of speculative futures, it opened up a space for a distinct history, and hence emancipation, self-empowerment and individual freedom. The concepts, ideas and aesthetics of Afrofuturism soon spread from the USA to the rest of the world, influencing countless artists – also in German-speaking countries – with whose experiences they strongly resonated.