By Sara Barnes on March 27, 2023

Installation view: Daniel Arsham: Wherever You Go, There You Are, 2023. Orange County Museum of Art. (Photo: Yubo Dong, ofstudio)

Objects of today will be discovered as artifacts by future generations.

Understanding the past is vital to our future. It’s why, even millions of years later, archeologists are enthralled with pre-historic discoveries. As we sort through them, it can help bring the present into focus. Artist Daniel Arsham creates works that are inspired by the practice of archaeology, but he considers it from an alternative perspective. Instead of sorting through the past, Arsham is interested in digging into the future. His solo exhibition Wherever You Go, There You Are at the Orange County Museum of Art explores the notion of “fictional archaeology” by way of sculpture, photography, and painting.

The pieces featured in the exhibition—his first major museum show in the U.S.—are recognizable figures in contemporary popular culture. They are cast to look like relics that future generations will excavate and study in the same way we have with Egyptian mummies or centuries-old shipwrecks. Arsham’s works are constructed from geological materials like sand, pyrite, and volcanic ash.

One of the most identifiable pieces is a replica of the 1981 DeLorean, the time-traveling car from the Back to the Future film franchise. It’s patinated to show its age and looks like it’s been dug up. There are even chunks missing from it that show its inner structure. An astronaut space suit has a similar treatment with part of it showing decay. These striking elements are placed alongside other future ruins including sports equipment and the telephone.[…]

Photo: Eugene Kim / My Modern Met

Photo: Eugene Kim / My Modern Met

More: Exhibit Explores “Fictional Archaeology” With Relics for the Future