AUSTIN, Texas — At the Blanton Museum of Art, a new exhibition is turning lines of code into works of art and inviting visitors to be part of the process.
Marina Zurkow, Mesocosm (Wink, TX), 2012, 28 x 48 1/2 in., 146 hour cycle (24-minute day, 146-hour year), Real-time generative software animation (color, sound), monitor, Marina Zurkow, Collection of the Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation
Run the Code: Data-Driven Art explores what happens when artists use algorithms, data, and artificial intelligence as creative tools.
Refik Anadol, Machine Hallucinations – Study I, 2019, single-channel digital video, silent, computer, monitor, 30 min., Collection of the Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation © Refik Anadol
The immersive exhibition brings together works from some of today’s leading digital artists, transforming complex systems into striking visual and sensory experiences.
Curator Hannah Klemm says the show highlights a growing movement in contemporary art.
“So we’re here at the Run the Code: Data-Driven Art and this show is about artists who are working with data and algorithms to create their artworks,” Klemm said.
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Inside the galleries, visitors will find installations that respond to their presence, tracking movement, touch, and even biometric data, alongside digital pieces that continuously evolve in real time. Some works reinterpret art history through machine processes, while others visualize patterns in nature, human behavior, and online culture.
Madeline Hollander, Heads/Tails: Walker & Broadway 4, 2020, 73 Automobile headlights and taillights customized with LEDs and real-time software program, infinite, display: 120 x 240 in., Collection of the Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation
Klemm says artists working in this space help make invisible systems more tangible.
“I think it’s really important right now to be looking at digital artists using the technologies of our time because art allows us to see things and see the world differently than we do when we just encounter it in everyday life,” she said.
Camille Utterback, Untitled 5, 2004, interactive installation: custom software, silent, video camera, computer, projector, lighting, infinite (live generation), Collection of the Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation © Camille Utterback
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The exhibition draws from the Thoma Foundation’s Digital and Media Art Collection and emphasizes both innovation and accessibility, encouraging visitors to interact with the work and reconsider their relationship with technology.
Run the Code is open now through August 2, 2026, at the Blanton Museum of Art on the University of Texas campus.
The museum is typically open Tuesday through Sunday, with extended hours on select days.
Visitors can also explore American Modernism from the Charles Butt Collection: From Edward Hopper to Alma Thomas, on view at the same time, making it a unique opportunity to experience both traditional and technology-driven art in one visit.