Blanton Museum Exhibition Examines Technology as Artistic Medium in Data-Driven Art Show

The Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, Texas, is presenting the exhibition 'Run the Code: Data-Driven Art Decoded by Thoma Foundation X Blanton Museum of Art' from March 8, 2026, through August 2, 2026. This group exhibition explores how contemporary artists employ technology as a creative instrument, moving beyond commercial applications to develop innovative visual perspectives. Organized in partnership with the Carl and Marilynn Thoma Foundation from Dallas, which holds a significant private collection of digital and media art, the show features works by Refik Anadol, Daniel Canogar, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, teamLab, Siebren Versteeg, Leo Villareal, and Marina Zurkow. The exhibition utilizes immersive installations, real-time data visualization, and responsive environments to reflect human experiences. Curator Hannah Klemm of the Blanton notes that current artists treat coding as a fundamental artistic material, similar to traditional mediums like paint or clay, revealing how technology can express both analytical and poetic dimensions by visualizing patterns, biases, and chaos within data. The exhibition is structured around five thematic areas: technological archaeology, interactivity, data-driven systems, remixing art history, and landscape reimagined. Notable pieces include teamLab's 'The World of Irreversible Change' (2022), an interactive digital work that responds to Austin's real-time weather and visitor presence, addressing ecological and social instability. Refik Anadol's 'Machine Hallucinations – Study I' (2019) uses artificial intelligence trained on Gothic cathedral imagery to generate evolving architectural light forms. Rafael Lozano-Hemmer's 'Pulse Index' (2010) incorporates visitors' fingerprints and heart rates into a collective portrait. Madeline Hollander's 'Heads/Tails' (2020) transforms New York traffic patterns into a light-based performance. The exhibition highlights how artists leverage technological tools to create works that comment on data's role in shaping contemporary life.