Mike Kelley, City 17, 2011. Tinted urethane resin on illuminated base. Courtesy Angel Nieto. ©VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2023.
Mike Kelley, City 5, 2007. Mixed media on illuminated base. Courtesy Galerie Hussenot, Paris. ©VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2023.
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, 1818.
Picture: Frank Sperling, 2023.
David Cronenberg, Instruments for operating on mutant women (from Dead Ringers), 1988. Nickel plated brass. Courtesy the artist and TIFF, Toronto. Picture: Frank Sperling, 2023.
Mike Kelley, Kandor 5, 2007. Mixed media on illuminated base with video and sound. Courtesy Sammlung Ringier, Zurich. ©VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2023. Picture: Frank Sperling, 2023.
Mike Kelley, City 17, 2011. Tinted urethane resin on illuminated base. Courtesy Angel Nieto. ©VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2023. Picture: Frank Sperling, 2023.
Tetsumi Kudo, Cultivation by Radioactivity in the Electronic Circuit, 1968. Mixed Media, 2 parts. Courtesy the artist and Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebaek. ©VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2023. Picture: Frank Sperling, 2023.
Nour Mobarak, Reproductive Logistics 3.1 – 3.7, 2023. Textile, straw, apple wood, Pleurotus citrinopileatus mycelium (courtesy Dirfis), Trametes versicolor mycelium, oil paint, plastic, latex paint. Courtesy the artist.
Diane Severin Nguyen, Raindrop Bodywork, 2019. LightJet chromogenic print, Courtesy the artist and Galerie Molitor, Berlin.
Diane Severin Nguyen, Intersectional, 2019. LightJet chromogenic print. Courtesy the artist and Dorothy Zhang.
Picture: Frank Sperling, 2023.
Mike Kelley, Kandor 5, 2007. Mixed media on illuminated base with video and sound. Courtesy Sammlung Ringier, Zurich. ©VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2023.
Ovartaci, Untitled, no date (early 20th century). Gouache on paper. Courtesy Museum Ovartaci, Aarhus. ©VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2023. Picture: Frank Sperling, 2023.

WangShui, Fundamental Attribution Error, 2023. LED mesh, AI-generated video. Courtesy the artist and High Art, Paris. Picture: Frank Sperling, 2023.
WangShui, Fundamental Attribution Error, 2023. LED mesh, AI-generated video. Courtesy the artist and High Art, Paris. Picture: Frank Sperling, 2023.
Tetsumi Kudo, Cultivation by Radioactivity in the Electronic Circuit, 1968. Mixed Media, 2 parts. Courtesy the artist and Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebaek. ©VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2023.
Tishan Hsu, Fingerpainting 2, 1994. Silkscreen ink, acrylic on canvas. Courtesy the artist and Miguel Abreu Gallery, New York. ©VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2023.
Mike Kelley, City 17, 2011. Tinted urethane resin on illuminated base. Courtesy Angel Nieto. ©VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2023.
Mike Kelley, City 5, 2007. Mixed media on illuminated base. Courtesy Galerie Hussenot, Paris. ©VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2023.
Mike Kelley, Kandor 5, 2007. Mixed media on illuminated base with video and sound. Courtesy Sammlung Ringier, Zurich. ©VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2023.
Picture: Frank Sperling, 2023.
Ivana Bašić, Belay My Light, the Ground Is Gone, 2018. Wax, pink alabaster, blown glass, breath, dust, weight, oil paint, pressure, stainless steel. Courtesy the artist.
Ian Cheng, Emissary Sunsets The Self, 2017. Live simulation and story, infinite duration, color, sound. Courtesy the artist and Pilar Corrias, London and Gladstone Gallery, Brussels.
Joachim Bandau, Schwarzes ruhendes Schlauchmonstrum, 1972. Glass fiber reinforced polyester resin, pigmented, mannequin segments, C-hose couplings, vacuflex hose. Courtesy the artist and Neues Museum Nuremberg. Picture: Frank Sperling, 2023.
Ivana Bašić, Belay My Light, the Ground Is Gone, 2018. Wax, pink alabaster, blown glass, breath, dust, weight, oil paint, pressure, stainless steel. Courtesy the artist.
Ian Cheng, Emissary Sunsets The Self, 2017. Live simulation and story, infinite duration, color, sound. Courtesy the artist and Pilar Corrias, London and Gladstone Gallery, Brussels.
Joachim Bandau, Schwarzes ruhendes Schlauchmonstrum, 1972. Glass fiber reinforced polyester resin, pigmented, mannequin segments, C-hose couplings, vacuflex hose. Courtesy the artist and Neues Museum Nuremberg.
Diane Severin Nguyen, For me, years, 2023. LightJet C-print, custom steel frame. Courtesy the artist.
Diane Severin Nguyen, Reunification Palace, 2023. LightJet C-print, custom steel frame. Courtesy the artist.
Diane Severin Nguyen, From Cynic to Saint, 2023. LightJet C-print, custom steel frame. Courtesy the artist.
Joachim Bandau, Wasserwerfer, 1974. Glass fiber reinforced polyester resin, pigmented, mannequin segments, hose couplings, malleable cast iron rollers, 4 parts. Courtesy the artist and Neues Museum Nuremberg. Picture: Frank Sperling, 2023.
Joachim Bandau, Schwarzes ruhendes Schlauchmonstrum, 1972. Glass fiber reinforced polyester resin, pigmented, mannequin segments, C-hose couplings, vacuflex hose. Courtesy the artist and Neues Museum Nuremberg.
Diane Severin Nguyen, For me, years, 2023. LightJet C-print, custom steel frame. Courtesy the artist.
Diane Severin Nguyen, Reunification Palace, 2023. LightJet C-print, custom steel frame. Courtesy the artist.
Diane Severin Nguyen, From Cynic to Saint, 2023. LightJet C-print, custom steel frame. Courtesy the artist. Picture: Frank Sperling, 2023.
Joachim Bandau, Wasserwerfer, 1974. Glass fiber reinforced polyester resin, pigmented, mannequin segments, hose couplings, malleable cast iron rollers, 4 parts. Courtesy the artist and Neues Museum Nuremberg.
Sandra Mujinga, Love Language (3), 2023. Aluminum, steel, velcro. Courtesy the artist and Sammlung Haus N, Athens.
Sandra Mujinga, Love Language (2), 2023. Aluminum, steel, velcro. Courtesy the artist and Croy Nielsen, Vienna. Picture: Frank Sperling, 2023.
Diane Severin Nguyen, For me, years, 2023. LightJet C-print, custom steel frame. Courtesy the artist.
Diane Severin Nguyen, Reunification Palace, 2023. LightJet C-print, custom steel frame. Courtesy the artist.
Diane Severin Nguyen, From Cynic to Saint, 2023. LightJet C-print, custom steel frame. Courtesy the artist.
Joachim Bandau, Schwarzes ruhendes Schlauchmonstrum, 1972. Glass fiber reinforced polyester resin, pigmented, mannequin segments, C-hose couplings, vacuflex hose. Courtesy the artist and Neues Museum Nuremberg. Picture: Frank Sperling, 2023.
Ivana Bašić, Belay My Light, the Ground Is Gone, 2018. Wax, pink alabaster, blown glass, breath, dust, weight, oil paint, pressure, stainless steel. Courtesy the artist. Picture: Frank Sperling, 2023.
Fritz Lang, Metropolis, 1925/26. Maschinenmensch, WSM Art Metropolis, Walter Schulze-Mittendorff,
Source: Stiftung Deutsche Kinemathek.
Sandra Mujinga, Love Language (3), 2023. Aluminum, steel, velcro. Courtesy the artist and Sammlung Haus N, Athens.
Sandra Mujinga, Love Language (2), 2023. Aluminum, steel, velcro. Courtesy the artist and Croy Nielsen, Vienna. Picture: Frank Sperling, 2023.
Fritz Lang, Metropolis, 1925/26. Maschinenmensch, WSM Art Metropolis, Walter Schulze-Mittendorff,
Source: Stiftung Deutsche Kinemathek. Picture: Frank Sperling, 2023.
Sidsel Meineche Hansen, SECOND SEX WAR ZONE, 2016. CGI animation in VR format, PC, headset, vegan leather beanbag. Courtesy the artist and Rodeo, London.
Picture: Frank Sperling, 2023.

Ovartaci, Untitled, no date (early 20th century). Gouache on paper. Courtesy Museum Ovartaci, Aarhus. ©VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2023. Picture: Frank Sperling, 2023.
Matthew Angelo Harrison, Touched by an Angel, 2021. Wooden sculpture, polyurethane resin, stainless steel, anodized aluminum. Courtesy the artist and Danny Rimer. Picture: Frank Sperling, 2023.
Nour Mobarak, Reproductive Logistics 3.1 – 3.7, 2023. Textile, straw, apple wood, Pleurotus citrinopileatus mycelium (courtesy Dirfis), Trametes versicolor mycelium, oil paint, plastic, latex paint. Courtesy the artist.
Picture: Frank Sperling, 2023.

Nour Mobarak, Reproductive Logistics 2, 2021. Glass vials, injection pins, syringe, plastic. Courtesy the artist and Miguel Abreu Gallery. Picture: Frank Sperling, 2023.
Analisa Teachworth, Tribute Pallet, 2019. Multi-media installation with architecture, sculpture, video, sound. Courtesy the artist. Picture: Frank Sperling, 2023.
Tishan Hsu, Fingerpainting 2, 1994. Silkscreen ink, acrylic on canvas. Courtesy the artist and Miguel Abreu Gallery, New York. ©VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2023. Picture: Frank Sperling, 2023.

Joachim Bandau, Ivana Bašić, Ian Cheng, David Cronenberg, Sidsel Meineche Hansen, Matthew Angelo Harrison, Tishan Hsu, Mike Kelley, Alexander Kluge, Tetsumi Kudo, Fritz Lang, Nour Mobarak, Sandra Mujinga, Diane Severin Nguyen, Mary Shelley, Ovartaci, Analisa Teachworth, Suzanne Treister & WangShui
Human Is
19. March – 23. July 2023

Opening Hours:

Thu – Fri 2pm – 7pm,
Sat – Sun 11am – 7pm

19. Mar – 23. Jul 2023

Opening Hours:

Thu – Fri 2pm – 7pm,
Sat – Sun 11am – 7pm

Opening: 18. March 18:00

Joachim Bandau, Ivana Bašić, Ian Cheng, David Cronenberg, Sidsel Meineche Hansen, Matthew Angelo Harrison, Tishan Hsu, Mike Kelley, Alexander Kluge, Tetsumi Kudo, Fritz Lang, Nour Mobarak, Sandra Mujinga, Diane Severin Nguyen, Mary Shelley, Ovartaci, Analisa Teachworth, Suzanne Treister & WangShui
Human Is
19. March – 23. July 2023

Opening Hours:

Thu – Fri 2pm – 7pm,
Sat – Sun 11am – 7pm

Opening: 18. March 18:00

Distinctions between dystopia and reality are increasingly collapsing in the face of inexhorable technological and ecological upheavals. Against this backdrop, Human Is employs science fiction as a spiritual and aesthetic vehicle to mobilize alternative futures, political imagination and a new posthuman ethics. This exhibition borrows its name from the eponymous short story by Philip K. Dick (1955) and investigates the idea of being human as a contestable and reversible category.

Since the 19th century – and its notions of capitalist, scientific and technological progress – science fiction has held up a mirror to the changing contemporary »conditio humana« with its values, fears and limitations. The seemingly external threat of extraterrestrial, supernatural or artificial beings often reveals itself as self-made anxiety and part of our cultural condition. The monstrosity of the unknown arises to shake up limitations, in effect, decentering the human protagonist.

Human Is juxtaposes historical with newly produced artworks. The exhibition paints a polyphonic picture of the mutual penetration of body and technology: it addresses the often violent interdependence of humans on their technological surroundings and opposes any promises of salvation through trans-humanistic progress. Simultaneously, it opens up spaces of possibility in which dualistic taxonomies can be overcome in favor of a networked and interdependent existence. Human Is engages science fiction to transcend the humanistically inscribed human, on the one hand, and the species of anthropos, on the other, through both material and perspectival liminality. Many works uncover the hierarchies of power that have traditionally dehumanized the Other. Afrofuturism, for instance, imagines a society beyond the histories of exploitation and discrimination in which people can live in equality, often through strategies of mutation, hybridization and camouflage.

For many, the collapse of the systems we have come to rely on is no longer a distant apocalyptic future. Visionary science fiction writer Ursula K. le Guin sees fiction as a container for reinventing the possibilities of human experience and knowledge beyond any linear narrative of progress. And it is through these stories that the destruction and alienation of contemporary existence can trigger creative processes and a new ethics of relationality, which may no longer be truly human.

Related texts

↓ The Brightness Inside by Laura McLean-Ferris ↓

↓ Floorplan ↓

Curated by Nina Pohl & Franziska Sophie Wildförster
Project Management Teresa Minn & Lina Louisa Krämer
Research assistant Samuel Staples
Initial curatorial idea by Laura López Paniagua

Funded by Kulturstiftung des Bundes (German Federal Cultural Foundation). Funded by the Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien (Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media). Funded by E.ON Stiftung and the Danish Arts Foundation.
Special thanks to Pilar Corrias, Gladstone Gallery, Miguel Abreu Gallery, Ringier Collection and Ovartaci Museum for their generous support.