Octavia E. Butler’s trailblazing 1993 science fiction book Parable of the Sower, from the Earthseed trilogy, begins on July 20, 2024. In light of this important date, W139 has invited artists Müge Yilmaz and Anna Hoetjes to initiate an exhibition that emerges from the legacy of Butler’s work.

The exhibition Taking Root Among the Stars (at W139 end of 2024) will feature the work of artists and writers who use science fiction not only as a theme in their work, but also as a tool to propose different social realities, alternative futures, and communal relations to nature. The exhibition centers an interdisciplinary exploration of feminist, decolonial, speculative worldbuilding, using it as a tool to critique the society we live in and write ourselves into the future(s) we want to see.

The exhibition will be preceded by Gathering Earthseed, a two-day gathering on 20 – 21 July 2024 during Outside the Soup that will consist of workshops, panel conversations, readings, and community dinners.

Picture: Taking Root Among the Stars during UNFAIR23 in collaboration with Buro Stedelijk.