“Futures of Eastern Europe” is a two-day conference that coincides with the opening of “Report on the Construction of a Spaceship Module,” organized by tranzit for the New Museum. The conference will consider key issues in contemporary art from Central and Eastern Europe, and explore the widespread ongoing obsession with science fiction. The first day, Saturday January 25, will feature two panel discussions with a luminary group of curators, critics, art historians, and artists.

The second day, Sunday January 26, will feature an Eastern European sci-fi movie marathon.

SESSION 1: EASTERN EUROPEAN SCI-FI
12–2:30 PM
The conference will open with a series of critical discussions exploring the ideological role that outer space played in the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War. Clips of feature-length films as well as readings of key sci-fi texts will supplement the discussion comparing techno-utopias on either side of the Iron Curtain and assessing the current nostalgic hunger for this material. Participants: Éva Forgács, Deimantas Narkevicius, Tomáš Pospiszyl, and Anton Vidokle. Discussion moderated by Lauren Cornell.

SESSION 2: EASTERN EUROPEAN FUTURES
3–6 PM
Through a series of lectures and debates by a young generation of curators and intellectuals, this session will pose key questions related to art emerging from Central and Eastern Europe today. Questions that will be explored include: Is art in this region currently offering visions that go beyond the repetition of modernism? How can the symbolic potential of art in the region of the former Eastern Bloc and its connections to many international systems be used productively? What are potent artistic strategies that counter the inherent rules and codes of the global art world? Participants: Cosmin Costinas, Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez, Ivana Bago, Ana Janevski, and Jelena Vesić. Discussion moderated by Taraneh Fazeli.