Ryoji Ikeda builds a cathedral of data at the High Museum

The High Museum of Art in Atlanta is currently presenting Ryoji Ikeda: data-verse, on view through August 10th, 2025. This marks the first U.S. museum exhibition of the acclaimed Japanese artist and composer, celebrated for his groundbreaking explorations of sound, light, and scientific data. At its core is Ikeda’s data-verse trilogy—three monumental audiovisual installations that immerse viewers in the vast scale of the universe, from subatomic particles to galactic structures. Originally commissioned by Audemars Piguet Contemporary in 2019, the trilogy is shown alongside new site-specific works and earlier projects that extend Ikeda’s meditative engagement with data as both structure and substance.

A standout work, data-gram, features 18 synchronized monitors that break down and recombine raw data used in the trilogy, offering a fragmented, poetic reflection on the digital age. These installations fill the museum’s largest gallery space from floor to ceiling, merging sound and image into a contemplative, architectural experience. Drawing from scientific theory and quantum physics, Ikeda’s approach emphasizes perception over interpretation. As Ryoji Ikeda explains, the viewer constructs the narrative—meaning emerges through sensation.

Structured in seven chapters, the exhibition examines the boundaries of human understanding through the lens of data’s aesthetic and emotional potential. Together, the works invite visitors into a deeply sensory journey that reframes how we relate to the universe and our place within it.