In May 2024, Futurium will launch its new annual theme “Treasures of the Future”. Raw materials shape our lives. Our entire existence is based on them. We use them to build our houses, to power our cars and machines, to bake our bread, and to produce our smartphones and computers. A world without raw materials? Unimaginable. But the challenges are immense: the demand for raw materials is constantly increasing, their extraction puts a strain on the environment and local populations. The situation is aggravated by the fact that the burdens of extraction as well as access to raw materials are unevenly distributed around the world. Starting in May 2024, Futurium will explore what sustainable and equitable futures for raw materials could look like and what steps we need to take today to turn them into reality.

Maarten Vanden Eynde (in collaboration with Musasa), Ils ont partagé le monde, 2017. Belgian Art Prize, Bozar, Brussels, Belgium (photo: Rachelle Stoffels)