EUTOPIA -
REINVENTING UTOPIA

ABOUT

This exhibition brings together artists whose interests explore ideas around utopia. It calls for a need to re-invent utopia - to invent a new space - a utopia closer in meaning to its greek origins of no-place or good place - eutopia.

“The main task today is to reinvent utopia. Out of the pure urge of survival you have to invent a new space.”

— Slavoj Žižek

The exhibition aims to bring together artists whose interests explore ideas around utopia. Utopia has over time become the description of an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect. This exhibition seeks to bring ideas of utopia closer to its original meaning of no-place (from the Greek οὐ - not and τόπος - place) and to the similarity of utopia to eutopia - good place (from the Greek εὖ good or well and τόπος place).

Now more than ever there is a need to re-invent a new space. Žižek calls for such a reinvention - not to plan ‘utopias’ as in the past (where we now know they will fail) but to actually start practicing them, to start living them.

Artists can go someway towards visualising such a space, a re-imagining of utopia. Covid brought tragedy but also a breathing space to slow down, to re-think and to consider change. This show aims to create an arena in which to explore ideas towards reinventing utopia, towards a different kind of space, towards a better future.

Eutopia is supported by OPDC’s Small Grants Scheme, funded by Arts Council England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.