Somnium
Marc Henry
The catalog Somnium is being published to coincide with the exhibition of the same name by artist Marc Henry at the NAK Neuer Aachener Kunstverein. The exhibition’s title is taken from the 1609 book of the same name by astronomer Johannes Kepler. Somnium is considered one of the most influential and earliest works of scientific fiction, which continues to inspire scientific, literary, and visual motifs to this day. In this book, Johannes Kepler describes a fictional lunar civilization in the form of a dream journey. With the help of spirits and demons, people travel to the moon in the umbra of a solar eclipse. It is precisely this intertwining of fantastical and real elements in Somnium that is symbolically reflected in Marc Henry’s visual themes. Henry’s presentation transposes this historical constellation into the present: in today’s media ecologies, hybrid narrative forms also emerge in which facts, speculation, emotion, and image production are inextricably intertwined. The image does not claim to be the truth, but rather reflects its own manipulative power.
Texts by the authors Alicja Schindler and Maurice Funken situate Henry’s work within art history and examine his artistic practice. In addition, the author Marius Goldhorn contributes a literary text that references both Henry’s work and Kepler’s book Somnium. The catalog also features reproductions of the works and exhibition views from the Neuer Aachener Kunstverein.
Edited by Maurice Funken
Concept and Design: Tim Bisschop
Texts: Maurice Funken, Marius Goldhorn, Alicja Schindler
German / English, hardcover, 104 pages, numerous color illustrations
DISTANZ Verlag
ISBN: 978-3-95476-932-2
€ 34
€ 30
for members