Digital Culture

Exhibition view »Open Codes. Living in Digital Worlds«

Digitization is a new cultural technique that is fundamentally changing the way we perceive and think, communicate, acquire knowledge and work. The ZKM accompanies this development and sets important impulses with artistic productions, research projects, exhibitions and events.

In this way, the ZKM encourages people to think about and discuss the effects and possibilities of digital change for individuals and society. It offers space for the exchange of all social actors on the question of how we want to shape our lives under the conditions of digitalization. 

30 years of experience in digital culture

The ZKM is an institution for the digital age. Founded in 1989 to explore and further develop the artistic potential of digital technologies, the ZKM is still unique among international cultural institutions. Our expertise is based on 30 years of experience in the fields of digital art and knowledge production, collection and communication.

We will only be able to actively shape the perception and development of the arts if we understand the changed worldwide digital space of action and act self-determined within it.

Instructions for cultural institutions

Disruptive tendencies towards digitization have not stopped at the cultural sector either, and – in the best sense of the word – with the help of digital communication media have called the authority of institutions into question. From our point of view this means for the cultural institutions: only if we understand this changed worldwide digital space of action and act in a self-determined way in it, we will we be able to actively shape the perception and development of the arts. In the course of our work, we would like to encourage the public to actively participate in the culture of our society and to make concrete suggestions on how we can improve the transfer of knowledge into the public sphere at the interface of art, science and technology. Conversely, we are constantly working on the productive provision of content in order to make it accessible to everyone according to their interests.