A new book from the V&A digs into the past, present and future of digital art

Where digital art was once considered niche, revolutionary and subversive, it now occupies a near omnipresent place in our visual culture. But how did we get here? A new publication from the V&A, edited by senior curator of Design and Digital, Corinna Gardner, as well as curators of Digital Art, Pita Arreola and Melanie Lenz, answers exactly that.

Digital Art: 1960s – Now is a whirlwind tour of historic and “contemporary discourses on art, artificial intelligence, computer animation, simulation and cybernetics through the historic works of innovative artists and renowned contemporary practitioners”, Melanie tells us. Building on the V&A’s rich archive of digital works, Melanie and co sought to “to reveal the interconnected histories from which the field has grown”. They did this by surveying how artists and thinkers have each contributed to the growing web of digital creativity, and so the publication is a much-needed call and response between past and present, here and there.

The team’s comprehensive and thoughtful analysis of the evolving digital landscape was no accident – such a sweeping survey hinges the their desire to be as inclusive as possible. As Melanie explains: “We felt that it was very important to create a book that embraced multiple narratives from artists and communities, across generations and geographies.” As such, the book is neatly divided into decade-by-decade essays exploring wide-ranging artistic efforts, from the fringe to the mainstream.

While the book is dotted with iconic moments like the interview with generative art pioneer Vera Molnár, it also urges us to consider the shifting nature of art in a world modulated by technology. “Working on the book has made me think a lot about the impact and the role of artists in an age where there is an abundance of automated creativity,” Melanie explains. A concern that can be felt throughout the curatorial effort: pensive and slow images in some places and stimulating elsewhere, but consistently curious and unexpected throughout.

Jam-packed with interviews with artists, gallerists, museum curators and collectors from within the V&A as well as practices and networks that aren’t currently reflected in the museum’s holdings, it’s no surprise that fitting everything into 200 pages proved to be the biggest headache. Melanie says: “We spent a long time discussing how to create the timeline and acknowledge that what we present is a selection of moments to contextualise the networked nature of computer and digital art practices.” It’s this sensitivity towards diverging but linked narratives that Melanie believes makes this book truly special.

That attentiveness fosters a sense of possibility and excitement for the future of digital art. “Digital art has gone from being stigmatised and seen as niche and to more accepted by the public and mainstream art world,” says Melanie. “Hype circles will come and go but digital art will continue to evolve and invariably be understood in different ways.” While provocative and eye-opening, the publication ultimately invites us to consider the possibilities of our own self-expression in a shared techno-future. “At a time when rapid technological change continues to shape our lives, relationships, and environment we felt this was a valuable moment to create a book exploring critical questions about technology, creativity and digital culture,” she concludes.