Kosmismus

100 Years of Now Library
Editors: Boris Groys and Anton Vidokle
Publisher: Matthes & Seitz Berlin, 2018
344 pages, German
ISBN 978-3-95757-416-9
Price: 18 €

Available at Haus der Kulturen der Welt and at bookstores, mail order buying / postal shopping via the Webshop

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Russian Cosmists aimed to make humanity immortal through technology, thereby redeeming the Christian promise of resurrection in the here and now. The arts played a central role in these endeavors. Because of their ability to perpetuate things, they were regarded as equal in stature to the natural sciences and medicine. Based on historical Cosmism, this volume examines materialism as the central mode of thought of the 20th century against the backdrop of new philosophical trends like speculative realism, new materialism and transhumanism. Its utopian potential is explored by following in the footsteps of successive generations of artists who have been influenced by Cosmism since the historical avant-garde.