Today, digital art as we know it is dizzyingly immersive, drawing from optical and kinetic references in its creation of uncanny other worlds. It’s a movement that has been gathering steam for decades, the roots of which are now being uncovered in a major new exhibition at the Tate Modern.
Encompassing the period from the 1950s to the beginning of the internet era, and uniting over 70 artists, Electric Dreams celebrates vintage tech art in all its mind-bending glory. From US artist Rebecca Allen’s experiments in motion capture and 3D modelling for a Krafwerk music video, to Eduardo Kac’s text poems created with Minitel machines, the exhibition delves into movements including kineticism, cybernetics and abstraction as they began to take shape.
Monika Fleischmann and Wolfgang Strauss, Liquid Views, 1992. Examples of visitor’s performative events. ZKM Karlsruhe. © Monika Fleischmann and Wolfgang Strauss
Here, too, are the beginnings of virtual reality, with Monika Fleischmann and Wolfgang Strauss’s 1992 interactive installation inviting visitors to distort their reflection on a pool of digital water. Meanwhile, Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz Diez’s trippy moving projections invite us into a maze of coloured lines, taking a disorientating deep-dive into the impact of science on art.
‘Electric Dreams’ will be on show from 28 November-1 June at Tate Modern, London
A version of this article appears in the December 2024 issue of Wallpaper*, available in print on newsstands from 7 of November, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today
-
Stephen Prina borrows from pop, classical and modern music: now MoMA pays tribute to his performance work‘Stephen Prina: A Lick and a Promise’ recalls the artist, musician, and composer’s performances, and is presented throughout MoMA. Prina tells us more
-
Boffi | DePadova: the evolution of an Italian design superpowerFrom 1930s cabinet-maker to contemporary design force for every room of the home – how the Boffi | DePadova group came to stand for timeless Italian living, and a look at its current collections
-
Norman Foster and nine other architects design birdhouses for charity – you can bid‘Architects for the Birds’ is spearheaded by Norman Foster and the Tessa Jowell Foundation to raise funds to improve treatment for brain cancer. Ten architect-designed birdhouses will go up for auction
-
Five of the biggest art exhibitions to see in London in 2026From Marilyn Monroe, to David Hockney and Tracey Emin – get these art exhibitions in your diary now
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekWith the return of back-to-school, it's back to business for the Wallpaper* team, who’ve been making the rounds at fashion pop-ups and pavilion launches. Elsewhere, we’ve been indulging in new literature and old restaurants, and taking in a farewell exhibition at a landmark gallery...
-
From art to fashion, and back again: Jonathan Schofield’s figurative work is back in styleAfter graduating from London’s Royal College of Art, Jonathan Schofield began a career as a creative director at Stella McCartney. Now, he has returned to his first love, painting
-
Watch: artist Shezad Dawood lights up The Gaumont, King’s Road’s creatively focused new hubIn our short film, meet the artist, see his new work in the making, and discover more about The Gaumont
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekHere in the UK, summer seems to be fading fast. Moody skies and showers called for early-autumn rituals for the Wallpaper* team: retreating into the depths of the Tate Modern, slipping into shadowy cocktail bars, and curling up with a good book
-
‘A Single Man’ is now a ballet – we go behind the designAs ‘A Single Man’ is presented by The Royal Ballet and Factory International in London, here’s how its set designer brought protagonist George’s inner and outer worlds to life on stage
-
Artists imbue the domestic with an unsettling unfamiliarity at Hauser & WirthThree artists – Koak, Ding Shilun and Cece Philips – bring an uncanny subversion to the domestic environment in Hauser & Wirth’s London exhibition
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekAnother week, another flurry of events, opening and excursions showcasing the best of culture and entertainment at home and abroad. Catch our editors at Scandi festivals, iconic jazz clubs, and running the length of Manhattan…
