If you are a science fiction enthusiast and you are currently looking for a new exhibition in Athens, then keep reading this post. Prepare yourselves for a journey into multiple universes; universes though different, yet co-existing in perfect harmony with each other. This is your opportunity to learn the history of science fiction and see most of your favorite fandoms, all in one place. ‘Science Fiction: Journey into the Unknown’ is the title of the new exhibition that takes place at the Onassis Cultural Centre in Athens, Greece. In cooperation with London’s Barbican Centre, the exhibition is a journey through the long-lasting history of science fiction.

The new exhibition in Athens introduces various parts of the science fiction genre’s development throughout the years. From the 19th century to today, it makes its way into the future and the unexplored -perhaps non-existing- limitations of the human mind. For a total of about four months, you will be able to witness products of pure fantasy and human complexity, skim through beloved books and comics, and add a unique experience to your memories.

The exhibition is divided into four parts, each interconnected with the other, telling the story of the sci-fi genre from the beginning to its infinite continuum. You will be first greeted by the works of the creators of the past, but the first to envisage the future. Walk through the works of Jules Verne, Daniel Defoe, Rudyard Kipling, Jonathan Swift, Francis Bacon, and many more that made the first steps towards establishing sci-fi as part of human culture. Leaving behind the stories of the ‘first peculiar travels’ around the Earth and on other planets, you enter the Space Odysseys. The contact with the extraterrestrial is actually the main theme of this particular section. Aliens, Star Trek, Star Wars, Interstellar, and Stargate are few of the fandoms that you will probably stare at, especially if you are their ‘biggest’ fan!

Carrying on to the third section, you get a glimpse inside Great new worlds. Bear witness of futuristic societies and dystopian worlds, creations based on wars and destructions with Earth and humankind as its main focus. Here you can see exhibits from the favorite Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, 1984 by George Orwell and much more.

At the end of your tour, you reach the Ultimate frontiers, the times when humankind wonders about its very own existence and when science and technology seem to have no boundaries. Make your way through the books of Robert Louis Stevenson (Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde), Mary Shelley (Frankenstein), Philip Pullman (Northern Lights) and Gibson (Neuromancer), films and TV-series like Back to the Future, The Terminator and Doctor Who.

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Last but not least, take your time to take a closer look at the life-size figures of Ava, the android of Ex Machina, TARS from Interstellar and my own old favorite Sonny from I, Robot, and other replicas of famous books and films. And for those of you who would like to catch a film at the end of their visit, check out the parallel event's program with sci-fi films playing every Tuesday until December, in co-operation with Flix.gr, as well as panel discussions, screenings, workshops for adults and educational programs for children and teenagers.

For more information on the science fiction exhibition in Athens and the entrance fee, visit the Onassis Cultural Centre original page of the event here.

For the parallel event program, see here and here.

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Words: Spyros Balesias

Photos: Truevoyagers and Dimitris Loizos