A few pre-internet years ago, a young graphic designer had an argument with his Finnish grandfather, a retired athlete. The designer asked about the 1940 Helsinki Olympics. His grandfather said they didn’t exist. The young designer thought his grandfather had gone senile — he was adamant that the event had happened. The stand-off was a dead end because both were sure of their histories. But the young designer had relied on a poster he once saw for the 1940 Olympics, in an exhibition not unlike this one. A simple work of graphic design created a parallel reality. Featuring a wide range of historical and contemporary artefacts, including fiction, fakes and unpublished works, this exhibition examines the ways in which graphic design can construct reality and the sometimes slippery line between reality and fiction.

Curated by Åbäke (UK), Sofie Dederen (BE), Radim Peško (CZ/UK) & Brad Haylock (AU).