Arno Geens

Arno Geens, FRSA is a Belgian space artist and curator whose practice explores outer space as an active artistic medium. His work is grounded in the idea that the extreme conditions beyond Earth such as vacuum, microgravity, radiation and remoteness are not obstacles but generative forces that can shape form, process and meaning. This approach informs both his orbital artworks and his Earth-based practice, which together examine how artistic creation transforms when space becomes a co-author rather than a backdrop.

His space-flown works are created in direct dialogue with the realities of spaceflight. Some remain permanently in orbit, inaccessible and continuously shaped by the conditions around them, while others return to Earth bearing physical traces of their exposure. These pieces serve as material records of processes that cannot be replicated on the ground. Alongside them, Arno Geens develops a body of terrestrial work that remains Earth-bound but emerges from the same conceptual and material inquiries. These pieces interpret the physics, constraints and perceptual questions of space through controlled experiments, models and compositionally rigorous studio frameworks.

Underlying this artistic practice is a continuous program of studio research that spans material behaviour, environmental simulation and design methodology. Arno Geens investigates how artworks behave, are perceived and can be reinterpreted through the conditions associated with spaceflight, working across a blend of artistic intuition, scientific rigour and design-oriented analysis. His design work includes collaborations with space institutions, early conceptual studies for space systems, and applied investigations into how forms and structures respond to non-terrestrial environments. Complementing this is a series of experimental processes and material tests that aim to understand how space-specific forces can be brought into the logic of artistic creation. Together, these strands form the foundation of Astromorphic Art, his theoretical and practical framework for artworks shaped by non-terrestrial environments.

Parallel to his studio practice, Arno Geens develops curatorial projects that extend the notion of exhibition-making into orbit. His curated spaceborne projects operate outside terrestrial viewing conditions, following the logic of mission timelines, platform constraints and environmental transformations rather than the conventions of gallery display. These orbital exhibitions redefine what constitutes an exhibition site and how artworks circulate, are contextualized and are understood when situated beyond Earth.

His curatorial work is complemented by his broader cultural leadership in the field. As co-chair of ITACCUS, the International Astronautical Federation’s Committee on the Cultural Utilization of Space, Arno Geens helps shape international discourse around the cultural dimensions of space activities. He advocates for the recognition of art as a critical and necessary component of our expanding spacefaring culture and contributes to the development of frameworks for interpreting, preserving and critically evaluating art and culture in outer space. His cultural and art-critical work also continues through The Foundry, his platform for collaborative space-art projects, and through the Astronautical Art Initiative, which documents the historical and contemporary trajectories of art in space and develops theoretical tools for understanding this emerging field.

Arno Geens is a 2024 Karman Pioneer, a member of the Oxford Space Initiative (OxSI), a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts (FRSA), a space artist at the International Association of Astronomical Artists (IAAA), and a U.S. Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) alumnus.
He holds an MA in Graphic Design & Multimedia (LUCA School of Arts, Brussels), an MSc in Space Studies (International Space University, Strasbourg), and a PgD in Philosophy & Cognitive Science (VUB Brussels). He is also a Smart Space alumnus, Oxford University.