Welcome to The Bright Side of Dystopia

TEC ART 2025, 27 to 30th of March @ Katoenhuis Rotterdam

In a world going to shit, from impending nuclear war to climate doom to mad tech billionaires, it sometimes feels like there's little to be cheerful about. TEC ART dares to prove otherwise.

This year's festival argues that even during society’s race to the bottom, there is always beauty to be found. The exhibition The Bright Side of Dystopia is a dramatic attempt to look beyond the utter madness of reality and share a message of hope: perhaps after total collapse, we can finally see a bright future again!

A selection of international media artists delves deep into the darkness of our times and presents the poetry of the future. Ukrainian-born artists Yuri Yefanov and Sophia Bulgakova respond to the violence in their homeland by combining indescribable sadness and humor to create newly imagined worlds and experiences reminiscent of the best drug trips. Mark IJzerman and Sebastian Robert’s AV installation brings to light the devastating effects of deep-sea mining in a way that is surprisingly pleasing to the eyes and ears. And there is much more disaster out there, wrapped in neon colors of happiness!

Realism and hope go hand in hand in this year's edition of TEC ART. The artists do not avert their eyes from what is wrong but actively choose to highlight what is beautiful. Let's go down together, merrily. Welcome to the bright side.