utopia_archives is an ongoing iterative exhibition format initiated by Miro Leon Bucher that deals with a range of artistic perspectives on the topic of utopianism. The idea of utopia – a non-existing ideal place – has been a subject of human imagination for millennia. Especially in times of social duress, showing and reflecting on a world that may be worth striving for can help us work towards social change. As Ernst Bloch argued in his seminal work "The Principle of Hope", art serves a critical function in communicating these utopian ideas on a societal level. utopia_archives was last exhibited in January 2025 at the Bunker of Art in Aachen, Germany. The works on display engaged in an exchange of ideas with visitors through a range of diverse media, approaches, and utopian concepts. The exhibition format embraces the multiplicity of utopias and utopian thought and invites visitors to reflect, engage, question, and imagine their own utopia.
utopia_archives was conceived with the explicit goal of being an ongoing and iterative exhibition format. With the first exhibition iteration in Aachen being a full success, the format is meant to expand. It is currently planned to move the exhibition from Aachen, Germany, to Seoul, Republic of Korea, with the displayed artworks further developing and artists joining the fluid collective of involved cultural workers. This cross-cultural approach aims to expand the perspectives on utopianism and foster intercultural communication and exchange.
2025
The Landscape of a Mature Future
Print on canvas
144 x 81 cm
The Landscape of a Mature Future reimagines the High Renaissance as a feminist utopia, challenging historical gender roles. Inspired by Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights, this triptych envisions a society where women actively engage in trade, education, and culture—freed from systemic exclusion. Scenes of self-determined women, same-sex relationships, and reversed caregiving roles construct an alternative past, offering a vision of empowerment and equality.
Created using AI-generated imagery and custom-trained Renaissance-style painting models, the artwork acknowledges its own limitations in diversity and representation. The communal space, set in the ruins of a former church, symbolizes inclusivity while raising questions about historical narratives. Rather than presenting a perfect utopia, The Landscape of a Mature Future invites reflection and dialogue on what a truly equitable world could be.
2025
The aversed one
Print on canvas
42 x 48 cm
2025
Effigy of a sad Woman
Print on canvas
42 x 48 cm
2025
Equal
Print on paper
70 x 50 cm
Equal explores the erasure of visual differences to eliminate discrimination, imagining a world where only one gender exists. Inspired by the biases we experience daily—whether based on gender, beauty, or ethnicity—the artist created AI-generated portraits that blend human features into a universal face. By guiding the AI with targeted prompts, the work strives to represent as many people as possible, inviting viewers to reflect on identity and societal perceptions. An additional mirror bridges the AI-generated utopia and reality, encouraging self-reflection and discourse.
As the work evolves through audience interaction, its utopian premise begins to shift. Initially conceived as an ideal where prejudice disappears, the concept fluidly transitions between utopian and dystopian visions. Over time, the faces become increasingly artificial, questioning whether uniformity is truly desirable. Visitors engage by drawing, erasing, and writing on the portraits, contributing to a collective dialogue on identity and equality. The piece does not offer answers but invites open-ended reflection on what it means to be seen, to belong, and to exist beyond appearances.
2025
Worlds Apart: Mirrors of Utopia
Single channel projection
100 x 100 cm
Worlds Apart: Mirrors of Utopia is an interactive installation that contrasts two opposing visions of utopia, inspired by Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Dispossessed. It juxtaposes Anarres, an austere anarchist society built on equality and sacrifice, against Urras, a capitalist world of abundance and privilege. Rendered in deep reds for Anarres—symbolizing resilience and struggle—and cool cyan for Urras—conveying wealth and detachment—the installation visualizes the ideological divide through AI-generated image pairs. Each pair presents the same subject, whether a city, landscape, or person, but in drastically different societal contexts.
Projected onto a wall and layered to create a flickering, chaotic image, the artwork requires viewer participation. Using anaglyph 3D glasses or polycarbonate filters, visitors can choose which world to reveal, making the experience dynamic and deeply personal. The installation does not offer clear answers but instead invites reflection: Is any utopia truly ideal? How do wealth and freedom shape society? Through this interplay of light, color, and perception, Worlds Apart: Mirrors of Utopia challenges the notion of a singular utopian vision, suggesting that truth may lie in the tension between contrasting perspectives.
Ka Yu Cheung, 2025, Glimpse, Mixed media on canvas, 60 x 80 cm
Nele Martens, Büsra Mehmed, Merle Müller, 2025, Effigy of an enraged Woman, Print on canvas, 42 x 48 cm
Nele Martens, Büsra Mehmed, Merle Müller, 2025, Woman with a Fennec, Print on canvas, 42 x 48 cm
Nele Martens, Büsra Mehmed, Merle Müller, 2025, Portrait of a perplexed Woman, Print on canvas, 42 x 48 cm
Nele Martens, Büsra Mehmed, Merle Müller, 2025, Effigy of a sad Woman, Print on canvas, 42 x 48 cm
Nele Martens, Büsra Mehmed, Merle Müller, 2025, The aversed one, Print on canvas, 42 x 48 cm
Nele Martens, Büsra Mehmed, Merle Müller, 2025, The delighted one, Print on canvas, 42 x 48 cm
Nele Martens, Büsra Mehmed, Merle Müller, 2025, The Landscape of a Mature Future, Print on canvas, 144 x 81 cm
Farah Nosshi, 2025, Mirror, mirror on the wall, Installation, sound, 52 x 72 x 70 cm
Farah Nosshi, 2025, Mirror, mirror on the wall, Installation, sound, 52 x 72 x 70 cm
Ori Vopel, 2025, Worlds Apart: Mirrors of Utopia, Single channel projection
Bosse Hickman, Lumen Waehlert, 2025, Untitled, Installation, 250 x 200 x 200 cm
Bosse Hickman, Lumen Waehlert, 2025, Untitled, Installation, 250 x 200 x 200 cm
Aada Verhas, 2025, a puddle, Installation, print on transparent film, acrylic glass, 29,7 x 42 cm
Glebs Homcenko, 2025, Unlock the Harmony of the Universe, Mixed media, installation
Fee-Sophie Loleit, 2025, Equal, Print on paper, 70 x 50 cm
Kea Wegefahrt, 2025, Altruism, Plaster, styrofoam, 80 x 80 x 85 cm
Christina Schächtel, 2025, The bloom of society: A new genesis for architecture, Installation, PLA 3D print, 21 x 15 cm
Piera Garcia Nogueira, 2025, when machines dream: data blooms, Print on paper, 42 x 60 cm
Matei Munteanu, 2025, Ode to life, Single-channel video projection with sound
Mauricio Vill Márquez, 2025, Sueño, Three-channel video projection with sound
Mauricio Vill Márquez, 2025, Sueño, Three-channel video projection with sound
Mauricio Vill Márquez, 2025, Sueño, Three-channel video projection with sound
Piera Garcia Nogueira, 2025, when machines dream: code of roots, Print on paper, 42 x 60 cm
Jill Schaffrath, 2025, In Balance, Installation, print on paper, 100 x 90 cm
Farida Selim, 2025, Beyond the Sands, Print on paper, 20 x 25 cm
Jasmin Stuhrmann, 2025, Pink Blossom City, Print on paper, website, 59,4 x 84,1 cm
Alma Fernandez Naumann, 2025, Babel: Echoes of the Past, Visions of the Future, Print on paper, 40 x 50 cm
Audrey Karnadi, 2025, Nusantara Haven, Poster/Cut out paper, Audio, 30 x 30 cm
Katharina Haase, 2025, Triptychon, Acryl on wood, 120 x 60 cm
Luis Pedroza Hernández, 2025, The utopian paradox, Mixed media, 42 x 59,4 cm
Lorenta Sejdiu, 2025, Winterwunderland der Hoffnung: Utopische Visionen in Schnee und Licht, Print on paper, 42 x 42 cm
Maria De Fries Henriquez, 2025, Rising from Ruin, Print on paper, 29,7 x 42 cm
