Science fiction and contemporary art are connected by a set of related conceptual interests and formal expressions. This paper argues that two concepts in the critical study of SF, the novum and cognitive estrangement, are applicable to the practice and interpretation of much contemporary art. Discussing the work of contemporary new media artists whose practice has explicitly dealt with SF themes and tropes in various forms, the paper argues that the use of these two key critical SF concepts help to define a new and under-theorised cultural formation: the science fictional
