Amsterdam’s place in the continuum of visual art is as solid and established as the very cobblestones of its canalside towpaths and… dare we suggest it? Easy to perceive as equally antique?
It’s a misconception, but it’s common. One that the burghers of the Dutch capital are keen to address. Straddling the divide between the city’s vigorous street art scene and the venerable northern renaissance masterworks of the grand museums, Amsterdam’s art week program enraptures visitors with the bleeding edge of contemporary and emerging artists on an annual basis, making accessible to the casual viewer an art scene that is bubbling with energy and enterprise. But such grandiose initiatives would wither without standout artists and curators investing their influence and energy in the city, finding within it fertile ground to root their practices. It is, in multiple senses of the phrase, happening.
Nxt Museum proudly announces Still Processing
(Excerpt from press materials)
Step into a realm where AI-generated visuals, advanced image-processing technologies, and large-scale kinetic light and sound installations blur the boundaries between the visible and the unseen.
Still Processing unites two interconnected approaches: one examining how technological algorithms shape and manipulate images, and another immersing visitors in sensory experiences through large-scale audiovisual and kinetic installations. These approaches challenge visitors to personally process and interpret the world around them.
The exhibition delves into the evolution of image processing, celebrating advancements in how we create and perceive visuals while questioning what might be hidden or lost in the process. From revealing colors beyond human vision to exploring how sound shapes spatial environments, Still Processing examines the dynamic interplay between the visible and the unseen.
A highlight of the exhibition is the pioneering work of Rosa Menkman, a Dutch artist, researcher, and educator with nearly two decades of expertise in image resolution studies. Her practice provides a critical lens for understanding the technological and perceptual shifts explored in the exhibition.
“With Still Processing, we delve into how humans and machines transform data into meaning while reflecting on what might be overlooked or lost in these interpretations,” says curator Bogomir Doringer. “By intertwining technological image processing with immersive installations, we invite visitors to explore how perception connects the visible, the imagined, and the unseen.”
“As we launch our fourth exhibition, we’re thrilled to spotlight the remarkable talent thriving in the Netherlands,” says Merel van Helsdingen, founder and director of Nxt Museum. “Through Still Processing, we continue our mission to commission and present groundbreaking works by new media artists reflecting on the present and what’s next.”
Still Processing invites visitors to reconsider the act of seeing and reflect on the technological forces reshaping our sensory experiences. Opening February 7, 2025, at Nxt Museum in Amsterdam, the exhibition promises to be an unmissable journey through the evolving art of perception.
The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance. – Aristotle
