Ed Atkins Explores Decay and Digital Bodies in Recent Exhibitions
British artist Ed Atkins presented his video installation 'The Worm' (2020) in the exhibition 'Get Life/Love's Work' (2021) at the New Museum in New York. His work, including pieces like 'Old Food' (2018) and 'Us Dead Talk Love' (2012), uses high-definition digital video and motion capture to create hyper-real, often grotesque figures that explore themes of bodily decay, disintegration, and mourning. Atkins's practice contrasts boisterous digital artifice with intimate, unsettling elements like drawings of stained bedsheets, creating a grammar of feeling centered on decay. The article references related works by artists such as Felix Gonzalez-Torres and Paul McCarthy, and mentions a 2025 installation view of 'Old Food' at Tate Britain in London.
Key facts
- Ed Atkins's video installation 'The Worm' was shown at the New Museum in New York in 2021.
- Atkins's work frequently uses computer-generated figures created via motion capture or algorithms.
- His art explores themes of bodily decay, disintegration, and mourning through digital and traditional media.
- The article references a 2025 installation of 'Old Food' at Tate Britain in London.
- Atkins's practice is contrasted with works by Felix Gonzalez-Torres and Paul McCarthy.
Entities
Artists
Institutions
- New Museum
- Tate Britain
- Deutsche Oper Berlin
- The Art Institute of Chicago
Locations
- New York
- London
- Berlin
- Chicago