Artists in thematic section: Nonny de la Peña, Lauren Lee McCarthy, Mobile Image (Kit Galloway and Sherrie Rabinowitz), Mendi + Keith Obadike, Trevor Paglen, Marton Robinson, Dean Sameshima, Julia Scher

The utopianism associated with digital imaging in the 1960s and 1970s diminished as countercultural energies became increasingly co-opted by the corporate interests that fueled the dot-com revolution of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Novel imaging technologies were increasingly enlisted as tools for surveillance, remote vehicle weaponry, facial recognition, and satellite imaging (to name just a few potentially nefarious ends). Conversely, many artists appropriated these same technologies for positive communal and sociopolitical purposes. Many artists featured in this section scrutinize digital imaging as a tool for surveillance, both historic and current. Some reveal how digital surveillance is weaponized against minority communities, while others find the field a fruitful opportunity for subversion.