Ejaz Art Gallery in Lahore recently exhibited the group show ‘Unity in Flux: The Ones and the Zeros’, which was meticulously curated by the academic Aarish Sardar. The exhibition showcased the profound links between culture, modernisation and digitalisation, demonstrating how these forces have transformed human experiences and challenged boundaries in recent times.

The exhibition focused on the emerging medium of digital art and its diverse applications through design, code, human-computer interactions and biosciences. A total of 21 artists, each with distinct identities and perspectives, participated in this show. The artists involved came from various nationalities and backgrounds. The exhibition served as a platform where their differences aligned, showcasing a collective discussion on different matters, united by their exploration of digital mediums.

British artist Megan Smith, with her Colombian collaborator Yujie Gao, showcased an immersive installation, All the Stars We Cannot See, representing a virtual sky activated by more than 25,500 satellites orbiting Earth, based on actual data. The installation examined the effects of urbanisation, colonisation and digitalisation in areas such as outer space. It brought awareness to a dark side behind the beautiful visuals of the cosmos, where seeming stars represented the threat of a rise in surveillance mechanisms and political and economic agendas of disruption.

On the contrary, Hassan Saqib envisioned a future via his virtual reality project, through which he showed Pakistan’s space station getting ready to embark on a journey to the cosmos. Some highlighted the threats and complexities of the digital age, such as Rohma Khan, who collaborated with the art initiative Artversation to produce an artwork that consisted of a pile of discarded digital hardware, with a code counter running on a laptop — an alarming reminder of our rampant technological consumption.

Twenty-one artists from around the world come together to explore the complexities of the digital age and how best to navigate them

On a different note, the ingenious work of visual artist Ali Raza, Intrinsic Code I, established a link between social media and one’s identity in the current age of computing and digitalisation. Using the analogy of true and false in computing language, he placed a mirror between typographically designed digits of zeroes and ones — a language that is now responsible for people’s digital identity.

Among the various messages contributed, the conflicts and the sufferings of war were another strong message, communicated through digital prints by the Pakistani-British artist Rushda Aarish. Keeping in view the ongoing global dynamics and imagery of wars and atrocities, it highlighted the haunting and harsh reality of conflict that not only remains in the minds of people but, in the current age, also finds a permanent home in the digital landscape.

Meanwhile, Zainab Saghir Barlas highlighted how humans derive meaning from visual symbols. Creating typographic glyphs digitally printed on paper, her work invited people to think about the use of language and how specific glyphs, even when representing an ‘error’, can still communicate an emotion, thus stimulating thought and reflection.

Renowned Italian artist Stefano Fake also contributed to the exhibition, by presenting an immersive installation that used a powerful projection-mapping technique, inviting his audience to experience digital art on a deeper level.

German photographer Anton Sahler’s time-lapse-based videos, shot over the buildings and rocks of the Balkan Mountains, provided viewers with a glimpse into a corner of the world they wouldn’t otherwise see. Visual artist Aroosa Rana’s work Split was running the film Inception on two parallel screens, synchronised yet played in half on each screen.

This arrangement posed questions about physical presence and the representation of human existence.

Other artists, such as Sadaf Noori Malik, explored the links between geometrical patterns, highlighting the importance of interconnectedness to create new opportunities. She did this by adding animations to Sadequain’s famous mural at the Lahore Museum. Wajeeha Batool showcased a pixelated portrayal of her cat’s routine, in order to establish a connection between artificially made visuals and their ability to capture the essence of a moment. Others used humour and satire, such as Osama Khan’s work, which dealt with the joy of photo-manipulation and featured a humorous remake of The Last Supper by incorporating American TV stars.

‘Unity in Flux: The Ones and the Zeros’ wonderfully demonstrated the diverse ways digital art can convey powerful messages, bringing together artists from across the globe to explore and discuss the impact of digital mediums on art and society.

‘Unity in Flux: The Ones and the Zeros’ was on display at Ejaz Art Gallery, Lahore from July 26-August 1, 2024

The writer is a visual communications designer. She has had her art reviews published in The News and ADA Magazine

Published in Dawn, EOS, August 11th, 2024