The Barber Institute of Fine Arts and Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery are both showing exhibitions about technology and its influence on art this summer.
The Barber exhibition More than Real Life, curated by University of Birmingham MA Art History and Curating students, in partnership with the National Portrait Gallery, is on display 9th June-24th September 2017. It conveys how in the early development of photography during the 19th century, photographic techniques were exploited in various ways, for example to boost the status of public figures, such as Oscar Wilde and Queen Victoria. Interesting comparisons can be drawn between these photographs and photos of celebrities today.
I want! I want! is on display at BMAG 1st April-1st October 2017. This exhibition explores the theme of technology more broadly, showing art made in the past 20 years ranging from video to computer graphics, to videos, to interactive games. Visiting this exhibition after More than Real Life will allow you to consider how technology and art have progressed since the early photographic portraits at the Barber.
As both exhibitions deal with the theme of technology, they compliment each other well. Visit these exhibitions side by side and compare how they present ideas about technology and art!