BIOGRAPHY

Rebecca Allen is an internationally recognised artist inspired by the aesthetics of motion, the study of perception and behaviour and the potential of advanced technology. From the mid 1970’s, Allen was a rare female artist working in the early stages of computer art and digital technology. Her pioneering artwork, which spans nearly five decades and takes the form of experimental video, large-scale performances, live simulations and virtual and augmented reality art installations, addresses the future of gender, identity, nature, and what it means to be human as technology redefines our sense of reality. 

With degrees from Rhode Island School of Design and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Rebecca moves fluidly between artist studio and research lab, using her research to inform her art. Though widely recognised now as a contemporary visual arts medium, Allen was one of the first artists to utilise the computer as an artistic tool to make art involving human motion simulation, AI and artificial life algorithms and other generative techniques. 

Allen’s work is exhibited internationally and is part of permanent collections including, Whitney Museum of American Art, Centre Georges Pompidou, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art (NY) and Zabludowicz Collections. Previous collaborators include artists such as Kraftwerk, Mark Mothersbaugh (Devo), Peter Gabriel, Carter Burwell, Twyla Tharp, and Nam June Paik.