“collapse: data.models.worlds.”: A Group Exhibition on the Escalating Crisis of the Contemporary World and the Role of Technology

The group exhibition “collapse: data.models.worlds.”, curated by Katerina Goutziouli and Daphne Dragona, addresses the escalating crisis of the contemporary world, examining the role of technology within it. The exhibition runs from March 5 to April 2 at Saigon.

Bringing together ten artists and artistic collectives based in Athens and abroad, “collapse: data.models.worlds.” explores how technology-particularly the growing use of artificial intelligence-promises solutions that are inextricably linked to mechanisms of exploitation of human and natural resources. Popular computational models process vast amounts of data that rely on invisible human labor, high energy consumption, and the extraction of raw materials. Geopolitical claims and shifts in land use and development are directly connected to the demands of technology, perpetuating colonial strategies of the past. At the same time, algorithmically generated images and news contribute to a regime of ambiguity and indeterminacy. Persistent technological, social, and environmental challenges unfold not as isolated events, but as interconnected and recurring phenomena. Terms such as polycrisis, permacrisis, and metacrisis, widely used in recent years, reflect the difficulty of managing interrelated issues, as well as their duration and escalation.

The exhibition “collapse: data.models.worlds.” reflects on the current condition in relation to the collapse of established models of thought, and the turn toward new forms of coexistence, knowledge, and responsibility. Focusing on the relationships between technology, environment, and history, the works propose readings of this complex reality through diverse media and materials. Narratives of technological control and extractive practices are linked to specific places and communities. References to myths, lived experiences, and future projections highlight the interdependencies between the human and the non-human world. Mappings and visualizations bring together continuous data feedback loops and cycles of matter. The exhibition creates space for discussion around the restoration and safeguarding of social and environmental balance.

The exhibition is realized with the support of NEON Organization for Culture and Development, Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, and Error 417 Expectation Failed.