Sylvie Fleury First Spaceship on Venus

First Spaceship on Venus is the title of a series of rockets created by the Swiss object and installation artist Sylvie Fleury (b. 1961) since the 1990s. It was then that she started building monumental spaceships from various materials, some of which shimmer in ice blue or bright pink and others of which are covered with white fur. The MdbK is presenting a selection from this series on one of the large second-floor terraces.

The title ‚First Spaceship on Venus‘ is taken from the 1960 science fiction film ‚Der Schweigende Stern‘. This DEFA production was co-produced by the GDR and Poland. The film centres on the threat posed to Earth’s inhabitants by a nuclear catastrophe seemingly originating from Venus. In order to save the planet, an international delegation of astronauts travels to Venus in a spaceship. The historical context is revealing in this regard: The film was made against the backdrop of nuclear bomb tests carried out in the USA and the Soviet Union in the 1950s, reflecting the nuclear arms race during the Cold War – a topic that has taken on explosive relevance in light of new political alignments and rearmament today.