The ideas of achieving interplanetary travel and immortality are at the heart of cosmism, the cultural movement promoted by the Russian philosopher Nikolai Fyodorov at the turn of the 20th century. This exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam reveals how cosmist ideas captured the imagination of artists such as Vasily Chekrygin and his contemporaries, who depicted humanity’s future in space (13 January–3 March). Highlights include Kazimir Malevich’s figurative early work Assumption of a Saint (1907–08). When viewed beside abstract works, such as those by Natalia Goncharova, the influence of cosmism on a range of stylistic schools is clear. Works on show are drawn from the Khardzhiev Foundation, which holds the collection of the Ukrainian scholar and collector Nikolai Khardzhiev, alongside several new additions to the Stedelijk’s own holdings. Find out more from the Stedelijk Museum’s website.
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Biotechnosphere Boat (early 1980s), Fedir Tetyanych. Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam. Courtesy of Bohdan-Liubomyr Tetianych-Bublyk
Space (360 Degree View) (1920), Mikhail Matyushin. Stichting Khardzhiev, Amsterdam
Assumption of a Saint (1907–08), Kazimir Malevich. Stichting Khardzhiev, Amsterdam