How do artists use fabric to critique data colonialism?

In an era dominated by digital surveillance and data extraction, artists are turning to an unexpected medium—fabric—to critique the pervasive forces of data colonialism. By weaving, stitching, and dyeing textiles, they expose the hidden exploitation embedded in modern data systems. Fabric, with its tactile and cultural resonance, becomes a powerful metaphor for the entanglement of technology and human lives.

Artists like Trevor Paglan and Femke Herregraven use textile art to visualize the invisible infrastructures of data colonialism, such as undersea cables and server farms. Their work highlights how data—often extracted without consent—fuels corporate and governmental control. For instance, Herregraven’s embroidered maps trace the routes of data flows, revealing the colonialist logic of digital economies.

Other creators employ traditional craft techniques to reclaim agency. By hand-weaving data patterns or creating quilts from shredded surveillance documents, they subvert the cold efficiency of algorithms with human labor and imperfection. These acts of resistance remind viewers that data is not abstract—it is harvested from real bodies and landscapes.

Through fabric, artists challenge the myth of digital neutrality, urging us to question who benefits from data colonialism and who bears its costs. Their work stitches together a narrative of resistance, one thread at a time.