Images Unbound

Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, artists have explored the consequences and opportunities that arise when visual culture becomes untethered from its original context.

Images Unbound examines the societal impact of the endless amount of images that have entered our world since the invention and proliferation of photography.

The world is overrun with images. From news, film and television, and social media to the countless photos stored on our phones, we are constantly surrounded by pictures. With the invention of photography in the 19th century, people began living in a world of images. Continued advances in camera technology and the invention of film have radically changed our relationship to art, visual culture, and the world around us. Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, artists have explored the consequences and opportunities that arise when visual culture becomes untethered from its original context, helping us navigate a world where images are always on the move.

Artists featured in Images Unbound include Frank Big Bear, Walker Evans, Hannah Höch, and Andy Warhol among many others.

This is the first exhibition curated for the Des Moines Art Center by Associate Curator Mia Laufer who joined the Art Center in the fall of 2021.

Support for Images Unbound is provided by the Harriet S. and J. Locke Macomber Art Center Fund.