MOSCOW .- Traditionally, photography is thought to be more related to the present and the past, so “to capture the future” is a sort of a challenge. Pressing the “shoot” button, the photographer must know what will happen in the coming seconds when the shutter closes. Thus he does not only capture what he has already seen but also tries to foresee the next moment.

What exactly do artists aspire to uncover about the future by means of photography, and aren’t their tools too meager in comparison to the behemoth industry of special effects, inspired by science fiction, or the latest technologies of science art? How relevant, if at all, is the image of future offered by the artist in today’s world, where every Internet user can create and spread his or her own images?

Contemporary art and culture, starting to realize its responsibility towards future generations, here and now is trying to predict upcoming ecological problems, imagine the results of political activism of the opposition and community activists.

The artists’ “toolkit” includes all modern media-technologies, which allows capturing “plots” of the future and creating a futuristic atmosphere.

The exhibition, which is being held under the aegis of the year of Germany in Russia, gives Moscow audience a chance to see the future through the eyes of Russian and German photographers. In 2013 the exhibition will tour several Russian cities and will ultimately be shown in Berlin.

Artists: Sofya Gavrilova (Moscow), Beate Gütschow (Berlin), Vladislav Efimov (Moscow), Jens Sundheim (Dortmund), Yakov Kazhdan (Moscow), Anton Kuryshev (Moscow), Eva Leitolf (Munich), Sascha Pohflepp (Berlin), Ricarda Rogan (Dresden), Olga Chernysheva (Moscow).

The exhibition is on view at the National Center for Contemporary Arts (NCCA), Goethe-Insitut in Moscow from February 8 – March 10, 2013.