Art as radar acts as “an early alarm system,” as it were, enabling us to discover social and psychic targets in lots of time to prepare to cope with them.

These were the words of media theorist Marshall McLuhan, writing in Understanding Media with sharp insight in the 1960s and predicting the social revolution that new technology would bring. Half a century has now passed since McLuhan published his important work, and the Internet has permeated our society and new technological innovations like artificial intelligence are rapidly advancing. “Any technology tends to create a new human environment.” As McLuhan said, technology generates an entirely new world for mankind. While these changes will open up the door to a new age full of incredible promise, there is apprehension about the various problems and confusion that will also be ushered in. In what ways are artists responding to the positive and negative aspects that technological innovation brings? This exhibition presents the work of seven artists and one artist group from Japan and overseas, who are responding astutely to our current crossroads in history as well as the future. Their work offers us opportunities to think about the future of the society that technology makes.

EXHIBITING ARTISTS: David Blandy, Kenta Cobayashi, Simon Denny, Cécile B. Evans, exonemo, Rachel Maclean, Hito Steyerl, Akihiko Taniguchi.