An artifact is a tangible object, made by a person, imbued with cultural, historical, or personal significance. It’s a concrete piece of the past that tells a story, sparks curiosity, and connects us to our roots. artifacts are vital because they preserve our heritage, teach us about our ancestors, and help us understand how societies have evolved over time. They’re like time capsules, offering invaluable insights into human ingenuity, creativity, and resilience.

At Micro Galleries, in 2024, we are making ARTifacts. These are objects made for the future. These are not merely objects of aesthetic beauty or historical significance; they are imbued with deeper meaning, serving as conduits between the past, present, and future. At their core, ARTifacts represent the fusion of creativity and purpose, as artists draw upon the rich tapestry of human experience and knowledge to craft items that offer hope, inspiration, and guidance for future generations to remember, learn and use to create a better future.

At the heart of the ARTifacts concept lies the idea of using art as a vehicle for storytelling to the future. Each ARTifact is a tangible manifestation of our collective memories, experiences, and aspirations. They serve as imprints of our journey through time, capturing the essence of what it means to be human in an ever-changing world, and to convey information from the past while simultaneously offering glimpses of a better future.

ARTifacts can have a practical utility beyond their aesthetic value. They can serve as tools for education, empowerment, and social change: catalysts for transformation.

At the heart of this exhibition lies a profound question: How can we meet the needs of all people within the means of the living planet? This question serves as our guiding light for all our 2024 programs, drawing inspiration from the principles of Doughnut Economics and its call for balance between human prosperity and planetary health. It is a compass that directs our journey towards a more equitable, sustainable, and harmonious future.

These 17 artists have created ARTifacts for you to explore and be curious about. They explore a diverse range of themes and present them through an even more diverse range of practices and cultural lenses. Capturing nature through urban aesthetics, harnessing technology to explore beauty, upcycled materials and illustrations to bring joy and playfulness, Afro-futurism through assemblage, small poems and books of hope and connection, photography that poetically captures our present which has our future kinetically embedded within it and new media art + augmented reality to propel us visually forward.

May you find moments of beauty, joy, and connection at SOME SPACE amongst these ARTifacts. And, when you leave, amidst the challenges we face, may you go forward with a renewed sense of purpose and commitment to changing the world…in small and creative ways.