SPACE

We have always looked to the starry skies above and wondered what is out there. Space represents the aspiration to push beyond our limits, to take a step out into the unknown, and to dream about a future among the stars in the night sky. It encapsulates both the curiosity and excitement of discovering something new, and the timeless questions about who we are and where in this enormous vastness we belong.

The universe is a never-ending source of fascination, inspiration and big questions. The exhibition SPACE – A Visual Journey explores the celestial frontier where artistic expression and scientific inquiry meet, and captures the grandeur of the cosmos through the eyes of astronomers and the interpretive visions of artists alike.

Through works by 13 different artists, we encounter questions like who we are in the face of eternity and when we leave our planet behind, what values we bring with us when we discover new worlds, and who has the right to dream about a future outside of Earth’s atmosphere.

THE IMMENSITY OF SPACE

Artists in the exhibition include multiartist and engineer Mikael Owunna, who explores the intersections of science, art, and African cosmologies. Irish artist Rhiannon Adam shares how she was chosen among millions of applicants and as the only woman to take part in Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa’s SpaceX trip to the moon. She describes how space has long been accessible to the extreme rich and the superhuman, while here a group of civilians – among them artists and musicians – would have got to travel around the Moon and back, with the goal of contemplating and creating, and letting new perspectives and insights grow. The project was unexpectedly cancelled in June 2024, and the participants who had invested several years in preparing themselves were forced to pick up the pieces of their lives that had been on hold.

Matjaž Tančič from Slovenia has documented people living in a simulated Mars desert landscape to prepare for the real journey. “A flight to Mars will take up to 333 days and will carry an international, mixed-gender crew of scientists on a spaceship built with an intricate array of public and private technology from numerous nations. It is a new space race, but the result this time around will be collaborative,“ Tančič says of a project whose efforts are aimed at making the field of space exploration more inclusive and diverse.

One of Sweden’s most prominent artists, Cecilia Ömalm, together with astronomer Göran Östlin, presents their artistic-scientific project Ad Lucem / Towards the Light. Art, science, and technology are also interwoven in the work of internationally renowned German artist, explorer, and future astronaut Michael Najjar, whose visually striking and thought-provoking works challenge our understanding of space and our place in it.

“I grew up particularly fascinated by space exploration, inspired by the moon landing, Star Trek, and the Shuttle missions. Today, I work closely with space engineers, scientists, and entrepreneurs to translate their visions of space exploration into artistic expression. As one of Virgin Galactic's Future Astronauts, I will soon venture into space myself. The physical involvement and hands-on experience are fundamental elements of my artistic process,” says Najjar.

The universe is an empty canvas where anything can happen. SPACE – A Visual Journey greets you to explore space, broaden your horizons and expand your own universe through art. The exhibition will be on show at Fotografiska Tallinn from September 12, 2025 until January 18, 2026.

Participating artists:

Rhiannon Adam (Ireland)

Mikael Owunna (USA/Nigeria)

Mónica Alcázar-Duarte (Mexico)

Mackenzie Calle (USA)

Vincent Fournier (Burkina Faso)

Ivar Veermäe (Estonia)

Brooke Holm (Australia/USA)

Darya Kawa (Iraq)

Michael Najjar (Germany)

Matjaž Tančič (Slovenia)

Thomas Vanz (France)

Ming Wong (Singapore)

Cecilia Ömalm/Göran Östlin (Sweden)

The exhibition has been curated by Johan Vikner, Global Director ofExhibitions at Fotografiska; Sofia Liljergren, ExhibitionProducer at Fotografiska Stockholm, and Maarja Loorents, Head of Exhibitions at Fotografiska Tallinn, together with the local team.