‘Americans 2017’ is a group exhibition showcasing new productions by 19 key artists and groups from around the globe. Stemming from the concept of algorithmic citizenship introduced by artist James Bridle’s Citizen Ex project, this group exhibition gives center stage to the work of artists from countries as varied as Ghana, Kuwait, China, Lebanon, Austria and South Africa, all the while reflecting the influence of US-based ‘computerized processes’ over information, aspirations and concerns.

Featuring works by
Ab6al (Sarah Abu Abdallah, Abdullah Al-Mutairi and Majid Al-Remaihi); Darja Bajagić; Anna-Sophie Berger; Andrea Crespo; Valia Fetisov; Aslan Gaisumov; Nikima Jagudajev; Jessika Khazrik; Yoan Mudry; NTU (Tabita Rezaire and Bogosi Sekhukhuni); Walter Price; Nik Rawlings; Bunny Rogers; Jasper Spicero; Elisabeth Efua Sutherland; Ye Wang; Shen Xin; Urban Zellweger and Tim Haesler and Zou Zhao.

World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee explains that he originally “imagined the web as an open platform that would allow everyone, everywhere to share information, access opportunities, and collaborate across geographic and cultural boundaries.” Positing an international perspective, ‘Americans 2017’ echoes the Internet’s original universalist promise of alternatives to jus soli and jus sanguinis citizenship, all the while examining the enduring sway of the United States over the World Wide Web at a time when its government is veering toward discrimination and isolationism.

‘Americans 2017’ is a nod to the Mid-Century seminal ‘Americans’ exhibition series at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. The exhibition follows the format championed by Dorothy Miller—who curated six of the ‘Americans’ shows—and offers each artist an individual space, the dimensions of which are determined by the body of work on display. Regarding nationality, ‘Americans 2017’ aims to reconsider the notion of citizenship in light of its disruption by digital practices.

The exhibition is co-curated by Simon Castets and Hans Ulrich Obrist for 89plus.