The world is increasingly succumbing to digital imperatives, with technological solutions and tools forcibly imposed on our everyday experiences. More and more, we interact via virtual mediums, such as smartphones, the metaverse, and AI chatbots. At the same time, a comprehensive system of digital tools is optimizing efficiency across all human activities, further removing us from physical experiences. An estimated 92% of the world’s money now exists only in digital form, as we conduct more scholarship online, frequently communicate solely via text, shop for clothes using simulated overlays — the list goes on and on.

This exhibit introduces international works of fiction that predict dystopian consequences when the real yields to the unreal (or virtual). Spanning more than 175 years, these books and stories have inspired other important works in different mediums by writers and artists from around the globe.

Viewers are challenged to critically examine the contemporary virtual culture that increasingly governs our daily lives. The ultimate question is, do we even need reality anymore?