"Codes of Tides" blends AI, art and ecology at London Tech Week
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Shanghai (MoCA Shanghai), has teamed up with Goldsmiths, University of London, and the Shanghai International Culture Association to launch a striking new exhibition – "Codes of Tides." Running from June 9 to 13, it's set inside London's Troy House Foundation as part of London Tech Week.
The "Codes of Tides" exhibition is launched inside London's Troy House Foundation as part of London Tech Week.
The show celebrates MoCA Shanghai's 20th anniversary with a fresh look at where technology meets art. It features multimedia works from ten artists based in Shanghai and London, covering video, sculpture, installation, painting and photography. The theme? "Water" – as rivers, flows of data, and even stock markets.
The exhibition is co-curated by Miriam Sun, MoCA's Executive Director; Professor William Latham, a pioneer in generative art; and Yue Zheng, a performance researcher from Goldsmiths.
"In the traditional Chinese view, water embodies both inclusivity and progress–'benefiting all things without contention' and 'waves of the Yangtze pushing those ahead,'" said Li Liyan, Minister Counsellor for Cultural Affairs at the Chinese Embassy in the UK, during the exhibition's opening remarks.
"These qualities are especially valuable today as we advance cultural creativity and global dialogue."
Mutations, Markets and Moonlight
William Latham's AI-driven VR worlds return with his signature "Mutation Art." His work blends complex algorithmic visuals with organic forms. Latham, whose exhibitions span from the Centre Pompidou to ICA London, developed the concept with scientist Stephen Todd.
William Latham.
His latest pieces, built with collaborators in Oxford and Santa Barbara, create immersive, sci-fi-like experiences that pulse with mathematical life.
Blue worm-like forms breaking free from their structural constraints and heading towards chaos.
Shanghai artist Cao Yuxi, who worked with famous Chinese director Zhang Yimou on the Beijing Winter Olympics, offers Seasonal Proximities.
Shanghai artist Cao Yuxi.
The piece digitally maps urban flora in London and Shanghai into a poetic, data-based visual landscape.
Cao Yuxi's Seasonal Proximities.
Yang Yongliang, known for blending Song dynasty aesthetics with modern cityscapes, presents Moonlight, a digital Shanshui-style artwork that reflects on urbanisation and cultural memory.
Artist Yang Yongliang.
One of Yang's Moonlight series.
David Cotterrell, a professor and installation artist, takes on river systems in Oneiric. His holographic work dives deep into how technology can mirror ecological ideas.
Installation artist David Cotterrell.
David Cotterrell's Oneiric.
Fabio Lattanzi Antinori, an Italian artist based in London, explores financial systems. In Astral Charts, he transforms Shanghai and London market data into interactive soundscapes and moving images–what he calls "financial rivers."
Italian artist Fabio Lattanzi Antinori.
Masters and Slaves, Fabio Lattanzi Antinori.
Digital Biology and Memory
British artist Andy Lomas, a former VFX director for The Matrix and Inception, showcases algorithm-generated sculptures and AI paintings. These forms, inspired by cell division and biological growth, blur the line between science and art.
British artist Andy Lomas.
Cellular Form 16 0001 0162 (2013), Andy Lomas.
Lu Sisi, a multimedia artist living between Shanghai and London, presents deLOOMs. Shot in a Scottish mill, the piece reimagines industrial looms through digital visuals and sound–exploring time, memory, and machinery.
Multimedia artist Lu Sisi.
deLOOMs, Lu Sisi.
Other standout artists include Redblack D. Lawrence, whose expressive drawing series Who is Red? investigates trauma and transformation, and Ruofan Chen, a Shanghai-based artist whose slow-paced, emotionally rich works blend memory, ecology and digital media.
Redblack D. Lawrence.
Who is Red? by RedBlack D. Lawrence.
Exhuming Three Elements, RedBlack D. Lawrence.
Performance and Poetics at Night
At night, the space turns into a live art stage. Curator Zheng Yue, also a performance artist, leads a theatrical recital inspired by riverscapes in Suzhou and London. With poetry, light, and performance, the show invites audiences into quiet introspection and emotional exploration.
Silent River, Zheng Yue
Night Whisper, Zheng Yue.
Zheng draws on anthropology, psychoanalysis and the body to create works rooted in collective healing.
What's Next?
To extend the conversation back home, MoCA Shanghai is launching an open call for "Codes of Tides – Shanghai Edition." Selected artists will exhibit in Shanghai later this year and may join MoCA's artist residency program.
The museum will also host an academic forum at Goldsmiths during the exhibition. There, the two institutions will sign a long-term partnership called Endless Tides, supporting young creatives through joint research, exhibitions, and exchange programs.
Founded in 2005, MoCA Shanghai continues to push the boundaries of art and tech. This show in London highlights not only its international reach–but its commitment to building cultural bridges in the digital age.
