The artists represented in this exhibition grapple with the potential of technology as they “build their own world.” They re-purpose and manipulate technologies of the past and present in ways that range from playful to ironic to analytical. As these artists explore the ‘craft’ of technology, they often investigate the very notion of obsolescence. Here, with the benefit of our 21st-century hindsight, the historical course of technology becomes a vehicle for understanding both our present context and our visions for an augmented future.

Artists include

Jennifer Allora & Guillermo Calzadilla (Puerto Rico), Katya Bonnenfant (Lyon, France), Tim Hawkinson (Los Angeles), Scott Kildall & Victoria Scott (San Francisco), Aleksandra Mir (Palermo, Italy), REBAR (Blaine Merker, John Bela, and Matthew Passmore; San Francisco), Camille Scherrer (La Tour-de-Peilz, Switzerland), Xu Zhen (Shanghai), and Ricardo Miranda Zúñiga (New York).

Retro-Tech, organized for the 2010 01SJ Biennial, is presented with the support of ZER01, 1st ACT, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

This program is part of the Shanghai Celebration. For more information on this year-long San Francisco Bay Area-wide festival and its associated exhibitions, films, performances, lectures, and other events, please visit www.shanghaicelebration.com. The cornerstone of the Celebration is the Asian Art Museum's presentation of Shanghai, a major exhibition examining the visual culture of one of China's most cosmopolitan cities, scheduled for February 12— September 5, 2010.