Queens Museum | Approximations of Utopia (2024)

Image: Marco Brambilla, "Approximations of Utopia", Midnight Moment in Times Square. Co-presented with Times Square Arts, Queens Museum, and Artnet. Photo: Michael Hull.

Marco Brambilla’sApproximations of Utopiapresents a vision of a future world fair constructed from the archival images and AI technology, philosophically considering the nature of human hope and notions of utopia by mining the ambitions of the past. Using AI-generated and archival imagery to conjure the architectural environments of six historic World Expositions — New York (1964), Brussels (1958), Montreal (1967), Osaka (1970), Seville (1992), and Shanghai (2010) —Approximations of Utopiaassembles a new configuration of human wonderment through non-human technologies. Each architectural-algorithmic resurrection represents not only the spirit of that nation and society, but also the aspirational dreams and desires from that moment in time. The journey through these dynamic collages of the past leads the viewer to a yet unrealized Expo in the works, unbound from geography or time. This idealized speculation, like any utopia, is an imagined community and society of a future filled with the possibility of a meaningful, peaceful life and civilization.

Approximations of Utopiacoincides with the Queens Museum’s celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the 1964–1965 New York World’s Fair, titled Peace Through Understanding, that took place in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The Unisphere, designed by Gilmore D. Clarke and donated by U.S. Steel, was the icon of the Fair and remains the world’s largest sphere. It featured three rings representing the space age achievements of Yuri Gagarin, John Glenn, and Telstar 1, and stood as a monument to America’s success in the space race before Neill Armstrong’s moon landing. Corporate pavilions dominated the Fair, presenting innovations through educational demonstrations, theater, and exhibitionary displays. Ford’s “Magic Skyway,” for example, was a journey through Earth’s history, including animatronic dinosaurs and dioramas, and human evolution, viewed from inside a brand-new Ford Mustang on a moving track. Visions of cities, travel, and technology of the future were foundational for many pavilions, including those sponsored by General Electric, NASA, New York City, and Bell Systems, among many others.

Artnet’s co-presentation of Brambilla’s Midnight Moment in June marks the second iteration of an ongoing partnership that celebrates digital art in the heart of New York City.

Approximations of Utopiais guest curated by Nato Thompson with Dreaming in Public. AI services were provided by PHI Studio. Musical score forApproximations of Utopiacomposed by Drazen Bosnjak.

About the Artist

Marco Brambillais a London-based artist known for his elaborate recontextualization of popular and found imagery, as well as his pioneering use of digital imaging technologies in video installation and art. Brambilla’s work has been internationally exhibited and is in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, Guggenheim Museum (New York); San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; ARCO Foundation (Madrid); and the Corcoran Gallery of Art (Washington D.C). Notable shows include New Museum, New York; Santa Monica Museum of Art (Retrospective); Seoul Biennial, Korea; Broad Art Museum; and Borusan Contemporary, Istanbul; Kunsthalle Bern, Switzerland, Le Centquatre-Paris in France. Brambilla has worked with Creative Time and Art Production Fund in New York to present public art installations, including his Nude Descending Staircase No.3 presented at the Oculus world trade center during Frieze New York. Notable collaborations include 7 Deaths of Maria Callas, an opera by Marina Abramović first presented at the Opéra National de Paris, France, Pélleas et Mélisande, presented by the Opera Vlaanderen in Antwerp, Belgium; and King Size, a 16k on 16k video collage first presented at the Sphere in Las Vegas. Brambilla is a recipient of the Tiffany Comfort Foundation and Tiffany Colbert Foundation awards.

The Queens Museum is housed in the New York City Building, which is owned by the City of New York.

The Museum is supported, in part, by public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with Mayor Eric Adams, the Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, and the New York City Council under the leadership of Speaker Adrienne E. Adams.

Major funding is generously provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies, Ford Foundation, Hearst Foundations, Jerome Foundation, Lambent Foundation, MacMillan Family Foundation, Mellon Foundation, E.A. Michelson Philanthropy, New York Community Trust, Richmond County Savings Foundation, and Rockefeller Brothers Fund.