Planetary Portals exhibition explores AI, colonialism, and archival photography

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March 20, 2025
3 min read

Planetary Portals exhibition explores AI, colonialism, and archival photography

A groundbreaking new exhibition, I am in your dreams, but you are not in mine, at The Photographers’ Gallery. Created by the collective Planetary Portals, this innovative display weaves together archival photography, artificial intelligence (AI), and environmental history to question whose voices are heard, and whose remain silenced, within the colonial archive.

Through single-shot films and digital processes, the exhibition examines the impact of 19th-century gold and diamond mining in South Africa and the ways in which AI scripting mirrors historical systems of exclusion. At its heart, I am in your dreams, but you are not in mine critiques the compression of diverse languages into singular coding systems and asks what materials, and histories, are lost in the process.

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The exhibition’s imagery is drawn from archival photographs found in the Papers of Cecil Rhodes at the Bodleian Library, University of Oxford. These historical photographs offer a lens into the imperial narratives of the past, while also acting as a “portal” to contemporary discussions on AI, language models, and structural bias. Photography, once a tool of colonial documentation, is re-examined here as both a record of oppression and a site of resistance.

One of the most striking aspects of the exhibition is its use of AI to expose the biases embedded in large language models (LLMs). By engaging with Rhodes’ visual and historical legacy, from his early life in Hackney, East London, to his role in South Africa’s extractive industries, the exhibition reveals the enduring impact of colonial histories on modern technology.

In addition to the physical installation, the project extends online through Unthinking Photography, where audiences can explore in-depth studies of four key archival photographs. Using parallax scrolling, visitors can navigate through interconnected themes, drawing links between historical colonialism and today’s digital landscapes.

This thought-provoking exhibition will be on display until 15 June 2025. For those interested in the intersection of AI, history, and visual culture, this is an essential experience.

Image: Tom Page

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