Internet Giants : Masters of the Universe
Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, 21 March – 10 June 2018
Ikon presents an exhibition of new work by British artists Ben Langlands and Nikki Bell, marking the 40th year of their artistic partnership. Ben Langlands (born 1955) and Nikki Bell (born 1959) met while studying Fine Art at Middlesex Polytechnic, London, and have worked collaboratively since 1978.
Featuring the new iconic architecture of global technology companies such as Apple, Facebook, Alibaba and Google, the exhibition includes a new series of relief sculptures, installations, digital animations and portraits that explore the increasingly profound influence these huge companies have on our lives in the age of ‘Big Data’.
“Nearly all of our art explores human social and cultural relationships, from the personal to the political, through architecture and the coded structures of communication and exchange that surround us. We see architecture as the most tangible and enduring record of the way we live. The internet giants continue to grow exponentially, becoming ever more powerful by the day, and exercising an increasingly profound influence over our lives. They are reshaping the cultures, politics and economies of societies all over the world comprehensively.” Langlands & Bell
The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue, with an essay by architectural historian and critic Professor Anthony Vidler and an interview with the artists by curator and art historian Dr Hans-Michael Herzog.
For more information, high-res images and to request interviews please contact Rebecca Small or Emily Luxford on 0121 248 0708 or email r.small@ikon-gallery.org or e.luxford@ikon-gallery.org
