The science fiction books behind Geoffrey Pugen's art
A look behind the exhibition currently up in Toronto
Up now at MKG127 in Toronto is Geoffrey Pugen’s sixth solo exhibition, Webtology: Prisms. The exhibition consists of psychedelic prismatic collages, which Pugen refers to as “techno paintings,” a fitting name for compositions that spiral and disorient while also being cohesive and energetic. The work cumulates through extracting and manipulating fragments of science fiction novel covers—erasing elements, generating new ones, and assembling them into new compositions.
A speculative future emerges. By looking backwards towards the art of science fiction books, Pugen finds a way to look forward through the tools of the present.
This Saturday (March 8th), Geoffrey Pugen will be in conversation with Anthony Douglas Cooper at 2:30 PM at MKG127 (1445 Dundas St W, Toronto). I look forward to learning more about the work and how Pugen uses 3D modelling and AI textures. I also want to know more about how Pugen titles the pieces…
Here are a few of the science fiction covers that are at the core of Pugen’s exhibition:
I emailed Pugen to learn more about his process before the talk; I was especially interested in learning about the science fiction books that are the jumping off point for the work.
Here’s what Pugen had to say:
The sci-fi book covers I work with serve as both material and conceptual starting points. I’m drawn to their distinct use of color, texture, and speculative imagery, particularly in how they depict nature as something both alien and familiar.
These covers function as historical artifacts that I fragment and reconfigure, pulling them out of their original contexts to create something new. I also use AI in this process—to erase, alter, and generate new details within the imagery. The AI draws from the textures and colors of the original materials, creating unexpected mutations that push the work further into a speculative space. It’s about taking past visions of the future and reshaping them into something unresolved—something that speaks to the way technology mediates our perception of the natural world.
A Wind In The Door—Unknown Cover Artist
Der futurologische Kongreß by Stanisław Lem—Cover art by Helmut Wenske, 1974
Cover art by Tom Adams, 1973
The Colour Out of Space, H.P. Lovecraft. Unknown cover artist
Exhibition & Event Info:
Webtology: Prisms
MKG127
February 15 – March 15, 2025
Artist Talk: Saturday, March 8 at 2:30 PM
Artist Bio:
Geoffrey Pugen is an artist experimenting at the intersection of technology and nature through video, photo and installation. Thematically, Pugen contemplates speculative futures, transhumanism, the impact of nature on society and conflicts between the virtual and the real. His most recent sculptural work integrates video screen technology into architectural forms, creating spatially-synced multi-screen installations. His work has been exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Toronto, Transmediale, Berlin, WRO Biennial in Poland, Bienal De La Imagen En Movimiento, Buenos Aires, Internationale Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen, Rotterdam Film Festival. He is a recipient of the K.M Hunter Award for Interdisciplinary Art.
Love this post. We have a paperback collection of old Sci-Fi covers and this was cool to read.
this is such a creative, unique idea. i wish i could see it in-person.