““Protopia is a state of becoming, rather than a destination.”
— Futurist, technologist, co-founder of Wired, Kevin Kelly
monolith gallery: exhibition xiii
“Protopian Futures”
A Curation by Kristyna Archer in partnership with Monolith Gallery.
“Protopia” is a non-binary state of becoming. Coined by futurist Kevin Kelly, the term indicates “a state better than yesterday.” Unlike the binary extremes of utopia and dystopia, it is characterized by incremental developments towards a regenerative future, achieved through intentional and purposeful disruption with experimentation, innovation, and collaboration.
This collection, Protopian Futures, features artists imagining futures beyond the binary of utopia and dystopia, offering new ways of thinking embodied by their work and practice. They recognize the problems of the future cannot be solved with the mindset of the past, and therefore disrupt with intentionality. Nature abhors a vacuum, and these pragmatic futurists interject and take up space in the void by creating through a protopian lens of hybrid practices, phygital transformations, perceptual shifts, and metaphysical awakening. Instead of burning it all down, they conjure visions to replace obsolete, hierarchical, extractive systems of power by rebuilding regeneratively with equitability.
In the wake of a near-dystopian collective trauma of the pandemic, here lies the budding seedlings from the cross-pollination of ideas that cultivate a critical dialogue focused on coevolution, slow tech, queer theory, decolonization, and reimagined heritage. Protopian Futures presents a cultural shift in how we actively engage in rebuilding our future beyond the binary, recovering the human in a deeply digital world.
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“Protopia” is a non-binary state of becoming. Coined by Wired co-founder and futurist @kevin2kelly, the term indicates “a state better than yesterday” characterized by incremental developments towards a regenerative future, through intentional and purposeful disruption achieved with experimentation, innovation, and collaboration.
Our heteronormative binary programming automatically places it within a constrained framework, somewhere between Utopia and Dystopia. Yet perhaps Protopia is on its own timeline, evolving in real-time, not bound between Utopian and Dystopia.
The prefix “pro” denotes its forward leaning with a reverberating pro-activism towards progress and innovation. In Latin “prō” is in favor, therefore FOR not against the future. Thus far the discourse remains focused on the intersection of science and technological innovation by @kevin2kelly and progressed towards prototyping equitable, socially-engaged future world designs by @monikabielskyte @protopiafutures
Yet we can go beyond “Speculative Fiction” and outside of the aesthetic hindrances of “Sci-fi.” We are living and breathing Protopian visions in the present-future tense. My curation is my invitation to define it as a culture through artists in practice. It's an opportunity to bring it further into the public vernacular. And who makes culture? Artists do. I present you with Protopian Futurists...
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Exploring a Protopian lens...
My #ProtopianFutures curation for @monolithgallery @foundation highlights hybrid, multidisciplinary, non-binary perspectives in a cross-pollination of ideas that allows space for growth and experimentation.
Society's frequent flippant use of “Jack of all trades, master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one” without the second line attached completely misinterprets the meaning of the phrase. This has created a derogatory narrative and cacophony of shame toward multidisciplinary creators. This excerpt from 1592 by Robert Greene is referring to playwright William Shakespeare loitering around the theater helping with every aspect of production. I am ready to debunk and rewrite the narrative around this phase.
This curation yearns to take back “jack of all trades,” into the highest compliment. Futurists, innovators, worldbuilders, and artists that can hold space between complex concepts are the ones that push us forward in ways that the programmed commoner can not envision. That perceptual shift in awareness and the connection of new dots form Protopian visions.
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Protopian as an act of Preservation; a personal note on my curation inspiration...
The neologism of Protopia can be quick sticky and alluring, thus why it had such an impact on me. It gave me this sensation of relief, a renewed perspective of having another option. I’ve suffered from depression much of my life, and six months into the pandemic the looming dark thoughts decided to take hold. Those dystopian thoughts shaped my every day. Daily thoughts influence daily habits, which lead to decisions built around a future I didn’t trust, I didn’t believe in, and wasn’t proud to pass on. How could I plan for a future I didn’t believe in? That overwhelm led to guilt towards procreation and inherent disconnection to purpose.
Protopian Futures is my connection to hope, to a sense of purpose by showing up every day and making small differences through each interaction. Through this body of work, I see the active participants, pragmatic futurists doing the work, making connections between tangible ideas shaping our culture forward. I now realize my passion behind this was an act of self-love and self-preservation, in my yearning to prove to my shadow self there’s another way forward, and seek healing from a longtime battle with depression. These unique artists' perspectives helped show me the light again. #ProtopianFutures exhibition World launching @MONOLITHGallery @foundation
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Thoughts on the collective why... Protopia and the power of a perceptual shift in society at large. Nihilism is a pervasive force in current discourse, festered as a consequence of the collective trauma of a near-dystopian global pandemic. Society is in desperate need of an operating system upgrade in consciousness to realize these new futures that are currently stuck from evolution impeded by the obsolete systems of the past. The collective is comprised of micromovements (and microaggressions) that rise to climactic behavior. Meme-culture of existential dread has become a pop-culture resonance that acts as a premonition; forewarning us that society is at risk of a disengaged, apathetic nihilistic next-gen, suffering from chronic mental illness and burnout induced by social media and progress Capitalism, and are in desperate need of attention, purpose, meaning, and love. People have to believe in their power in a democratic society. Nurturing a relationship to hope by furthering the dialogue of Protopian futures is essential for the survival, growth, and mental well-being of our species now more than ever. Fearless artists are playing a crucial role in rewriting the narratives and reshaping these outdated systems. Through the creative practices of these artists, we can contextualize Protopian futures, moving beyond the verbosity of the discourse and into the realm of active engagement of the language in practice, synthesizing Protopia into our current reality.
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On curation process...
The diversity in this 24-piece collection spans international artists from across the Caribbean to Ukraine, and Switzerland to Mexico, representing an engaging tapestry of folx identifying as Queer, BIPOC, Latinx, Non-binary, Afrofuturists, and Cyberfeminists alike, all pushing culture forward. It was important to me to not be limited by medium or media or tied to a visual aesthetic, but remain open to uncovering Protopian visions in the zeitgeist through the various creative processes across culture and discipline. The artists' practices resonate like different languages exploring intersecting themes, that push boundaries into the unknown with an awareness of the past. Some engage with AI solely in process or aesthetic, or use analog techniques infused into digital works; and others use data manipulation, generative algorithms, and 'glitch' as a tool to honor heritage and memory. Many artists were inspired to create new works or mint works that have never been seen before, including
Their interest and excitement generated a burgeoning of ideas that was thrilling to feed off of, creating a very special bespoke collection.