There are many moments when I feel as an alien in this world. This weird feeling of perceiving every little thing as if for the first time takes over me not only when I travel, but also when I re-visit my home town after several months or when I have more time to notice the houses and trees I pass by everyday on my walk to Pittsburgh University where I study for my doctoral degree in contemporary art history. Why does it happen that we turn into aliens as we slow down our perception of the universe? Why do we seem to have enhanced seeing and hearing abilities when we abandon the chaotic rhythm of our lives? Do aliens have longer existences than humans do and therefore afford to spend hours on end observing even insignificant details? Is this the reason they can take their time and visit other galaxies? Is it because of their curiosity about other worlds that we imagine them having bulging eyes and thin, ethereal bodies that enable them to easily fly from one place to another and transgress material boundaries? I must admit it, as awkward and discomforting it is to be an alien, such an experience has its enjoyable parts. As much as I love being in the know, I also need to keep alive my ability to wonder.
Since I started working as an intern for the Carnegie International in the summer of 2006, my curiosity has sharpened with every day that passed as I wanted to transpose myself into the future and see what the exhibition will finally look like. Where are time machines when you need them most? There are only 3 days left until the scheduled landing on Douglas Fogle's planet Carnegie and I have started to spot from what sometimes seems a telescopic distance the changing sites of the hallways and galleries. I have come to love the humming noise of the hammers and drilling machines as I know that the moment of the opening is approaching and I can't wait to feel even more at home among all the other aliens who will invade the museum. While talking to the docents during the training sessions I conducted, I became better aware of the complex intersections between the orbits of the artists selected for this exhibition. Mark Bradford, Vija Celmins, Rika Noguchi, and Paul Thek will help us see our planet from afar and understand the small worlds and big worlds we simultaneously inhabit. Bruce Conner, Maria Lassnig, and Paul Sietsema will challenge us to ponder over the relations between exteriority and interiority, between our bodies and our minds. Richard Hughes, Peter Fischli and David Weiss will cast doubt on the origin of the objects they design, making us question whether they are handcrafted or machine-made. Many other artists will create poetical and whimsical contexts that will stimulate us to re-discover the magic that exists in mundane occurrences. They will make us better grasp the numerous things we share and the responsibility we have towards our planet and humanity. As visitors to the Life on Mars, we are bound to be amazed at the large number of aliens that live nearby and share our feeling of estrangement in the world!