Ryoji Ikeda: The aesthetics of data flow

RESEACH BACKGROUND Over several years, Australian institutions have been great supporters of the Japanese artist Ryoji Ikeda, whose appeal in the experience economy is obvious. The technical virtuosity, spectacular scale and intensity of his installations draws crowds wherever they are shown. Prolific documentation cannot replace the physical encounter of being exposed to it, because the "immersive" scale and soundscape are integral to the encounter. This review essay explores the process by which the public is integrated into Ikeda's installations to become part of a spectacular flow of data visualisation. CONTRIBUTION Building on existing critiques of the spectacular nature of the 21st century art museum, this essay explores the mutual dependence between galleries and Instagram/YouTube. It scrutinizing press releases of Australian galleries who have shown and collected Ikeda's work, and compares this rhetoric to the documentation of the same works, concluding that while inter-subjective encounters are celebrated, in the documentation viewers inevitably appear isolated and passive. The research also suggests that the fact Ikeda's works are re-versioned in multiple formats to suit various venues reminds us that data itself is never immaterial, but supported by complex infrastructure. SIGNIFICANCE This review essay appeared in a themed issue of the national art journal Artlink called 'Human Flow', commissioned by the Artlink editor Eve Sullivan. ARTLINK is a themed quarterly art journal, founded in 1981, funded by the Australia Council and Arts SA. Artlink is not currently listed on the approved venues list, but should be. As the journal website notes: "Artlink has peer review status as an independent journal of critical writing on the contemporary visual arts in compliance with the HERDC specifications and is listed on the ARC ERA 2012 journal list."