Plastic is everywhere. It permeates our everyday lives, is inexpensive and available worldwide. Thanks to their literally astonishing plasticity, plastics soon began to fascinate artists as well—both as a symptom and a symbol of mass culture. In the brief history of the “Plastic Age” the versatile substance transformed though: from the epitome of progress, utopian spirit, and democratization of consumerism into a threat. Plastic World offers a broad panorama of the artistic use of plastic and a position towards a matter that matters to us all. Through more than 100 objects, assemblages, installations, environments and films by some 50 international artists, this catalogue explores a spectrum ranging from the euphoria of pop culture in the 1960s and the futuristic influence of the space age, to the “trash” works of Nouveau Réalisme and the ecocritical positions of today.

FEATURED ARTISTS SUCH AS: Monira Al Qadiri, Archigram, Arman, Lynda Benglis, César, Christo, Öyvind Fahlström, Haus-Rucker-Co, Eva Hesse, Hans Hollein, Craig Kauffman, Kiki Kogelnik, Gino Marotta, James Rosenquist, Pascale Marthine Tayou and Pınar Yoldaş.