'Cosmos': Iftikhar and Elizabeth Dadi Turn Machines into Portraits of Production

Iftikhar Dadi and Elizabeth Dadi, an artist duo based between New York and Singapore, are known for works that probe the intersections of technology, mobility, and culture. Their recent exhibition 'Cosmos', presented at ArtAsiaPacific, continues this exploration by giving machines an unprecedented role: they are no longer mere tools or subordinate elements but become genuine portraits of production and capacity. Critic Mario D'Souza highlights this reversal in his review, noting that machines acquire a presence of their own.

The exhibition, whose exact date and venue were not disclosed in the source, fits into a practice where the Dadis use varied media, from video to installation. Their work has been shown in international institutions, and they are recognized for their ability to blend references to art history, visual culture, and questions of globalization. In 'Cosmos', they seem to push this reflection further by making machines full-fledged protagonists.

This approach echoes contemporary concerns about the role of technology in our lives, but also an artistic tradition that, from the Futurists to the cyberneticists, has envisioned the machine as a source of wonder and critique. By choosing to 'portray' machines, the Dadis invite viewers to consider industrial production not as a mere process, but as an entity with its own aesthetics and language.

The impact of this exhibition lies in its ability to renew the gaze on the technical object, often relegated to the background. By foregrounding 'capacity' and 'production', they raise questions about value, labor, and creativity in an increasingly automated world. One can expect this work to nourish discussions on the intersections of art and industry, and to be shown in other venues in the future, as it speaks to current issues.

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Written by the ADM desk based on ArtAsiaPacific. Read the original article for the full story.