Algorithms of Power

https://www.neme.org/blog/algorithms-of-power-press

On 31 of October, 2, and 3 of November you are invited to the opening of Algorithms of Power, being the introduction to a 2 to 3 year research project by NeMe which aims to scrutinise multiple areas related to the weaponisation of consumerist technologies. This long term project critically investigates and radically re-imagines, through the eyes of artists, scholars, and relevant actors the far-reaching issues that are emerging, damaging our democracies. endangering our lives, and our fragile peace in this geographical region and beyond. More details about the project can be found here.

On Monday, 4 November at 7:00pm, there will be a seminar with talks by the participating artists.

At present, everyday consumer technologies are increasingly being weaponised and used for political manipulation, surveillance, and control and in this process the distinctions between civilian use and military power become blurred. Critical questions have to be raised on how technology shapes international conflict and human rights. With emerging digital technologies, security and democracy threats like cyber warfare, disinformation operations, and AI manipulation take centre stage, challenging our security and democracy.

Critical art practices are increasingly becoming necessary tools used to question who owns these technologies and how they influence society. Through potent visual and intellectual productions, activists and artists envision a world where technology is in the service of justice, peace, and human rights.

Join us in exploring these urgent questions—step into the politics of technology and space, and discover how art and scholarship can build a more equitable digital future.

Participating artists

Vladan Joler holds a Doctor of Arts (DA) degree from the University of Novi Sad. He is an award-winning artist and the founder of the SHARE Foundation and SHARE Lab, where he serves as lead researcher investigating the technical and social dimensions of algorithmic transparency, digital labour exploitation, invisible infrastructures, black boxes, and other contemporary phenomena at the intersection of technology and society.

In 2019, he received the Design Museum’s Design of the Year award; in 2024, he won the Grand S+T+ARTS Prize at Ars Electronica; and in 2025, the Venice Architecture Biennale awarded him the Silver Lion for Calculating Empires: A Genealogy of Technology and Power Since 1500, which he dedicated to the faculty and students of the University of Novi Sad who opposed the “corrupt and criminal regime” in Serbia.

His numerous publications include essays in journals and edited volumes. He has co-edited books such as E-Relevance with Vuk Ćosić and Régine Debatty, (Council of Europe, 2021), and authored Black Box Cartography: A Critical Cartography of the Internet and Beyond (Krisis, 2023).

His work is included in several major collections, notably those of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Ameera Kawash is an artist and creative technologist whose work explores archival practices, decolonial innovation, and speculative futures. She holds a PhD from the Royal College of Art and is co-founder of Future Botanic and Ark Knowledge Networks.

Bridging digital humanities and tech R&D, she attempts to reconfigure emerging technologies as tools for cultural resilience, reparative storytelling, and sustainability.

She has spoken on the ethics of AI and digital technologies at Oxford University, Al Mawred Al Thaqafy (The Culture Resource), and the Photo Ethics Centre, and appeared on Al Jazeera’s The Stream discussing generative AI and dehumanisation.

Recognised with awards from Ars Electronica, the Terra Carta Design Lab, and Innovate UK, her work has been shown internationally, including at Stanford University, the London Design Festival, and the Dubai Design Week.

Vuk Ćosić is a canonised classic of net.art and a co-founder of the nettime and Syndicate mailing lists as well as the Ljubljana Digital Media Lab. He has exhibited in many well-known galleries and museums, and has lectured in several dozen art academies while, apparently, withstanding the test of time. He refuses to run his life like a business, but his work is being written about, quoted, imitated, and even collected. His basic education as an archaeologist combined with an avant-gardist ethos has provided him with both the long view and rapid bursts of passion necessary for working in the critical media arts. He sometimes writes about himself in the third person.

Venue

NeMe Arts Centre, Corner of Ellados and Enoseos streets, 3041 Limassol, Cyprus

Programme

• Opening: Friday, 31 October 2025, 17:00-21:00; Saturday and Sunday, 1-2 November 2025, 11:00-20:00.
• Seminar: Monday, 3 November 2025, 19:00.
• Exhibition Duration: 31 October – 28 November 2025.
  • Exhibition Opening days/times: Tuesday-Friday, 17:30-20:30.

Funding

This project has been partially funded by the Cyprus Deputy Ministry of Culture. This communication reflects the views only of the author, and the Cyprus Deputy Ministry cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.