Recently, a growing number of artists are abandoning their 'truthtelling' tactics for a various utopian practices. Why utopia now? What role has utopian thinking played in socially-engaged art and architecture? Utopia offers us a glimpse of an alterna...
Recently, a growing number of artists are abandoning their 'truthtelling' tactics for a various utopian practices. Why utopia now? What role has utopian thinking played in socially-engaged art and architecture? Utopia offers us a glimpse of an alternative. It provides a goal to reach and a direction toward which to move. In this essay, I briefly explore the rich history of utopias in art and architecture, ranging from Enlightenment visionary architecture to rationalist utopia of the 20th century and contemporary relational aesthetics. The goal of this essay is to urge readers to explore radical potential of utopian thinking as an effective strategy for progressive politics.