26 February, 2018

Michael takes pictures in an active volcano in New Zealand

In Feburary 2018 Michael flew with a helicopeter into the crater of an active volcano to take pictures for a new "outer space" artwork. The pictures were taken in the bizarre crater landscape of the Whakaari volcano, New Zealand’s only active volcanic island. Sulfurous gasses emerge hissing from fumaroles everywhere, rising from the innermost depths of our Earth to crystallize on the surface. This shows why the surface of the crater is covered with an ejected layer of pure sulfur glowing bright yellow. Yet the crater is only the visible peak of a huge underwater mountain that extends 1600 m down to the seabed. The volcanic cone and its imposing walls of sulfur are over two million years old.

In nearly every culture volcanoes have always been magical mysterious places and the seat of the gods. However, they are also a vital area of research for scientists, and not just the volcanoes on Earth but also those in the solar system. With the new findings about supervolcanoes on Mars and extinct craters on the moon, researchers are hoping to learn more about the history and creation of our own solar system and Earth. Many worlds in the solar system show traces of extinct volcanic activity, including the Earth’s moon and Mars which is home to the largest volcano in the solar system. The most active volcanic world in the solar system is the Jupiter moon Io. Cryovolcanism or ice volcano activity has been observed on the Saturn moon Enceladus and the Neptune moon Triton.


19 November, 2024

new artwork "arctic streams"


18 November, 2024

Exhibition views Fotografiska Stockholm


14 November, 2024

Solo presentation at Paris Photo


10 October, 2024

Exhibition at Fotografiska Stockholm


30 September, 2024

Residency at Shanghai Museum of Glass


15 September, 2024

Lecture Astronomy Museum Shanghai


29 July, 2024

DEEP PURPLE - Scientific Expedition to Greenland


24 June, 2024

Exhibition at Kunsthalle Bahnitz


27 May, 2024

flashback: UKE Hamburg


21 May, 2024

new artwork "netropolis | shenzhen | 2024"


22 April, 2024

Interview with Space Ambition


08 April, 2024

new artwork "CDF-X"


18 March, 2024

Exhibition JUT Art Museum, Taipei


08 March, 2024

new artwork "fusion power"


05 March, 2024

ARCO Madrid


29 February, 2024

Exhibition "A Constant State of Transformation", Melbourne


15 January, 2024

Podcast "FotoPsychoLogisch"


29 November, 2023

Symposium "Enter the Future"


29 November, 2023

Exhibition at Caixa Forum, Madrid


28 November, 2023

Exhibition at ArtScience Museum, Singapore


15 November, 2023

"orbital ascent" special edition


10 November, 2023

Exhibition at BANK Gallery, Shanghai


23 October, 2023

Podcast "Fotografie neu denken"


10 October, 2023

Michael shoots at ITER Fusion Ractor in France


27 September, 2023

Nanjing Artfair, China


21 September, 2023

Wired UK magazine


07 September, 2023

Ars Electronica Festival - Who owns the truth?


03 June, 2023

Final test flight of Spaceship Unity


02 June, 2023

Civilization exhibition at Saatchi Gallery, London


19 April, 2023

Michael at the Starbase


28 February, 2023

new artwork "starbase II"


10 January, 2023

ART SG Singapore


12 December, 2022

"cool earth" exhibition at Studio la Città Gallery


11 November, 2022

Screening at COP27


12 October, 2022

Lecture at Deutsche Museum München


17 September, 2022

CIVILIZATION exhibition at Museo San Domenico


02 September, 2022

Frieze Seoul


08 June, 2022

Arctic expedition


04 June, 2022

Galería Juan Silió presents "cool earth" exhibition


29 May, 2022

New series "cool earth"


04 May, 2022

New Artwork "starbase"


30 March, 2022

mission:space re-edited version


06 January, 2022

new artwork "down to earth"


06 December, 2021

Michael visits STARBASE


09 September, 2021

New book "outer space v2"


07 September, 2021

Exhibition at Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg


12 July, 2021

Historic Spaceflight of VSS Unity


22 June, 2021

"Overview Effect" exhibition at Museum for Contemporary Art, Belgrade


18 May, 2021

Solo Exhibition "outer space" in Beijing


14 April, 2021

National Air and Space Museum aquires 3 artworks for permanent collection


22 January, 2021

New publication "Space is the Place - Current Reflections on Art and Architecture"


05 December, 2020

"outer space | portfolio box 2020" is now available


07 October, 2020

"New Classics of Mountains and Seas" Exhibition at Zhejiang Museum, China


05 October, 2020

"FUTURO" exhibition at Galleri d'Italia, Vincenza


12 September, 2020

"Space Works" exhibition at Tampere Art Museum, Finland


10 August, 2020

"CIVILIZATION" at Auckland Art Gallery, New Zealand


05 August, 2020

new artwork "crew dragon"


12 July, 2020

Large scale mural "lunar explorers"


06 May, 2020

skype interview with curator Benjamin Weil


23 April, 2020

new artwork "ascension"


06 February, 2020

"terraforming" video on view at Studio National des Arts Contemporains


01 February, 2020

VSS Unity spaceship transferred to Spaceport America


12 December, 2019

new artwork "space renaissance"


19 November, 2019

Video interview on "outer space"


20 October, 2019

"Beyond the Horizon" - exhibition at Wittenstein Innovation Factory


25 September, 2019

"outer space" exhibition opens in Shanghai


12 August, 2019

"terraforming" exhibition at Galería Juan Silio, Spain


21 June, 2019

New artwork "lunar explorers"


08 June, 2019

Photo shooting at CERN


22 May, 2019

new artwork "ignition"


18 May, 2019

"intergalactic" exhibition at BNKR in Munich


12 April, 2019

SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch


08 April, 2019

Shooting of Soyuz rocket launch in French Guiana


12 March, 2019

CIVILIZATION exhibition opened at the UCCA Beijing


08 February, 2019

Lecture at the European Space Research and Technology Center


30 January, 2019

A Bright Future - New Scientist magazine publicates the artwork "synlight"


14 December, 2018

VSS Unity - Welcome to Space !


30 October, 2018

Opening of the epic landmark exhibition „CIVILIZATION“ at Museum MCA, Seoul, South Korea


10 September, 2018

Shooting at European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC)


26 June, 2018

New artwork "orbital outpost"


20 June, 2018

Exhibition at Bank/MABSociety Gallery in Shanghai


09 April, 2018

Virgin Galactic completes first rocket-powered test flight of VSS UNITY spaceship


11 January, 2018

New book publication „Planetary Echoes - Exploring the Implications of Human Settlement in Outer Space


05 January, 2018

Michael portrays the world´s biggest artificial sun


20 November, 2017

Michael participates in the exhibition “Rivoluzione Galileo. L’arte incontra la scienza”


02 October, 2017

Michael took pictures of the world´s largest telescope in China


20 September, 2017

Michael´s work now on view at the 7th Moscow Biennale 2017


25 July, 2017

Michael participates at the 7th Moscow Biennale 2017


23 June, 2017

michael najjar signs contract for cosmonaut training at ‪yuri gagarin cosmonaut training center‬


07 May, 2017

Panel discussion on occasion of the exhibition “Planetary Echoes“


24 April, 2017

Video trailer of the exhibition opening "Planetary Echoes“


19 April, 2017

Alfred Ehrhardt Foundation Berlin presents Michael´s new solo exhibition "Planetary Echoes“.


22 March, 2017

UK Business Traveller Magazine features “Space Suite“ on the cover


13 February, 2017

Photo- and video shooting in Iceland


12 January, 2017

Michael portrays future Mars robot „Valkyrie“ at Edinburgh Centre for Robotics


19 November, 2016

Michael takes pictures of Arianespace VA233 milestone mission


12 October, 2016

Michael Najjar is one of the few Hasselblad Ambassadors worldwide.


05 October, 2016

Exhibition at Reggio Emilia / Palazzo da Mosta


22 September, 2016

Michael visits the new SpaceShipTwo at SpaceShipCompany in the Mojave desert.


12 September, 2016

„Space Suite“ shortlisted for European Hotel Award


25 July, 2016

Michael Najjar photographs the Vulcain 2 rocket engine in France


02 June, 2016

“space garden“ at museum Marta Herford


01 April, 2016

„outer space“ exhibition opens in New York


11 March, 2016

VA229 Mission successful launched into space


20 February, 2016

Virgin Galactic unveils new spaceship 16 months after fatal crash


17 February, 2016

Michael has arrived at Guiana Space Center


13 November, 2015

Michael inaugurates solo exhibition „outer space“ at Kunstverein Oldenburg, Germany


31 October, 2015

Exo-Evolution Exhibition at ZKM Museum, Karlsruhe


13 October, 2015

Michael took pictures at :envihab - Future Research Center for Space and Earth


07 October, 2015

Michael opens the world´s first Space Suite in Zurich


24 September, 2015

Studio La Città presents Michael´s solo show "outer space“


21 September, 2015

Michael completed basic suborbital space training program at NASTAR


08 September, 2015

Michael Najjar – one of the first test persons to perform jump and vibration training on the next generation DLR centrifuge


08 July, 2015

Solo exhibition at Museo Es Baluard, Palma, Spain


08 June, 2015

WIRED MAGAZINE features a large online article by Alyssa Coppelman on Michael Najjar´s "outer space" series.


05 June, 2015

Exhibition at Galería Juan Silió, Santander, Spain


01 June, 2015

New artwork related to the SpaceshipTwo Crash


10 May, 2015

New artwork „oscillating universe“


17 April, 2015

Article in The Wall Street Journal


15 January, 2015

MISSION:SPACE - Documentary Film Preview


12 January, 2015

Michael Najjar exhibits at Peter Kilchmann Gallery, Zurich


12 December, 2014

Michael participates at Kochi-Muziris Biennale, India


06 November, 2014

"Michael Najjar - outer space book published - Introduction essay by Buzz Aldrin


31 October, 2014

SpaceshipTwo crashes during testflight


15 October, 2014

"outer space" presented in Parabol Art Magazine Curated issue by Peter Weibel (Director ZKM)


04 October, 2014

Michael photographs the Eden Project


30 September, 2014

HALO Jump - video documentation


02 September, 2014

Michael´s work featured in ELEFANT Art Magazine


09 July, 2014

Michael is the first artist ever to perform a HALO Jump from an altitude of 10,000 m / 32,800 ft


22 June, 2014

Michael took pictures at Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan


03 May, 2014

DISTANZ to publish Michael Najjar's "outer space"


02 April, 2014

First presentation of "outer space" in Berlin


24 March, 2014

German TV Arts Programm "titel thesen temperamente" shows a portrait of Michael Najjar


10 March, 2014

Article + interview in "uncube" magazine


31 January, 2014

Article in Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin


20 January, 2014

Arte TV features Michael´s working at ALMA


08 January, 2014

Article in Greenpeace Magazine, Germany


25 November, 2013

Michael has done a photoshooting at the Atacama desert


20 October, 2013

Michael returns to Star City for Cosmonaut Training


08 October, 2013

Michael photographs at JPL cleanroom


04 July, 2013

Michael visits Mojave Air and Space Port


07 May, 2013

michael takes a dose of centrifugal training


07 May, 2013

michael takes a dose of centrifugal training


20 February, 2013

"spacewalk" - first video work from the series


22 January, 2013

michael najjar starts collaboration with hasselblad


16 December, 2012

michael najjar completes first phase of cosmonaut training


09 September, 2012

michael najjar photographs "short arm centrifuge (sahc)" at the german aerospace center.


18 July, 2012

michael najjar photographs the james webb space telescope


04 April, 2012

michael at tedXkiruna conference, sweden


28 February, 2012

norman foster views the new work


23 February, 2012

article on wallpaper magazine


13 February, 2012

first work from the new series


05 November, 2011

"first artist in space" - interview on artnet


24 October, 2011

michael najjar meets richard branson


20 September, 2011

historic final mission


15 September, 2011

new series "outer space"