Japanese artist Ryoji Ikeda uses DNA from 100,000 Estonians in groundbreaking new show

As part of the programme celebrating Tartu as a 2024 European Capital of Culture, Ryoji Ikeda – who is known for incorporating data and technology into his artworks – opened his solo show at the Estonian National Museum (ENM) in Tartu.

The exhibition presents two pioneering new works created specifically for Tartu 2024: ‘the critical paths’ (2024) is an audiovisual installation drawing on research by the University of Tartu Institute of Genomics, visualising the DNA of 100,000 Estonians on LED screens, while ‘vox aeterna’ (2024) marks Ikeda's debut sound piece featuring the human voice, offering a completely new listening experience and created in collaboration with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir.

Alongside these new pieces, the exhibition features ‘data-verse’ (2019-20), one of Ikeda’s signature works, where thousands of technical data points – such as coordinates, light structures, and DNA sequences – are transformed into captivating visual forms.

“The genome data of Estonians has inspired an artwork where visitors walk through a stream of data that represents the history of Estonia. The closer you observe the data flow, the stronger the connection between the research, the collected and displayed themes, which are seen in all ENM exhibitions,” ENM director Kertu Saks said.

“My work makes up only 50 percent; the other 50 percent is created by the audience – art is a dialogue between me and the viewer, allowing them to experience something personal and unique,” Ikeda commented on the exhibition, encouraging visitors to bring their own perspectives to the multi-sensory show.

Ryoji Ikeda’s solo exhibition runs at the Estonian National Museum (ENM) in Tartu until 2 March 2025.