The Tate Modern in London unveils Electric Dreams: Art and Technology Before the Internet, a groundbreaking exhibition that highlights the innovative intersection of art and technology from the 1950s to the 1990s. Featuring 150 works by 70 artists from across the globe, the exhibition delves into how early pioneers used rudimentary tools to imagine the digital age we inhabit today.
Catherine Wood, the Tate Modern’s director of exhibitions, describes the showcase as a tribute to the visionary artists who, long before the advent of the World Wide Web, utilized emerging technologies to craft utopian visions of the future. From LED lights to CRT monitors and kinetic sculptures, these creators embraced the tools of their era to forge new artistic frontiers.
Among the highlights is Alberto Biasi’s Light Prisms: Spectral Kinetic Mesh (1966), a hypnotic installation that refracts beams of light into a mesmerizing rainbow of shifting colors, evoking imagery reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s iconic album cover for The Dark Side of the Moon. Another standout is Carlos Cruz-Diez’s Chromointerferent Environment, a vibrant, immersive installation that invites visitors to interact with bouncing white balloons amidst rippling, glitching projections of colorful lines.
Monika Fleischmann and Wolfgang Strauss’s Narcissus’ Digital Reflections (1992) offers a prescient commentary on the rise of social media. This interactive piece blends touch-sensitive surfaces with cameras that project visitors’ images onto walls, merging technology and self-reflection in a way that feels remarkably contemporary.
Art critic Tabish Khan lauds the exhibition for its exploration of how art and technology have been intertwined for decades. “The lo-fi aesthetic of these works underscores their innovative spirit,” he notes, highlighting the historical trajectory that led to today’s AI and digital art.
The exhibition invites audiences to appreciate the nostalgia and ingenuity of these early technological experiments while recognizing their lasting impact on the evolution of art.
Electric Dreams is open now and runs until June 1, 2025, offering a fascinating lens on how artists imagined a digital future with the tools of their time.
