After Dark: Retrofuturism

Blast back into the past (and future) at this year’s Annual After Dark party for college students! Enjoy after-hours access to ICA’s exhibitions, make a zine (or two!), and participate in an explosive night of dancing with a list of up-and-coming experimental DJs curated by members of ICA’s Student Board.

A conclusion to the ICA Student Board’s annual Student Week, this year’s theme explores elements of retrofuturism inspired by ICA’s current exhibition, Carl Cheng: Nature Never Loses.

Dress to impress and take a personal spin on retrofuturist and cyberpunk aesthetics—think The Matrix, Ghost In Shell, Dune, and more. Drinks, desserts, and light bites from Bao & Bun studio will be provided. See you all there!

This program is free and open to all Philadelphia-based college students.

ICA is committed to creating a welcoming environment for all visitors. For more notes on accessibility including accessible parking nearby visit our Accessibility landing page. If you require any accessibility accommodations or have any questions about the program, please contact Brittany Clottey ([email protected]).

is the first in-depth survey of Carl Cheng’s prescient, genre-defying work from the 1960s to the present that will transform both floors of the ICA. Cheng began his career in the experimental context of the Southern California art scene and the post-war aerospace industry, resulting in artworks that operate at the intersection of identity, technology, and ecology. Over the last six decades he has worked in a variety of media to reflect on environmental change, the relevance of art institutions to their publics, and the role of technology in society. Because the majority of Cheng’s oeuvre is still in his possession, the exhibition will be an exciting and rare opportunity to animate the arc of his career through a presentation of artworks that are multidisciplinary, ephemeral, material, process-based, and interactive. The exhibition will also be presented at The Contemporary Austin – Jones Center (September – December 2024), Bonnefanten (May – September 2025), and Museum Tinguely (December 2025 – May 2026).

Programming at ICA is made possible in part by the Emily and Jerry Spiegel Fund to Support Contemporary Culture and Visual Arts and the Lise Spiegel Wilks and Jeffrey Wilks Family Foundation. Public and Student Engagement at ICA is supported by the Bernstein Public Engagement Fund, Suzanne Weiss Doft & Jacob W. Doft, Stacey & Robert Goergen Jr., Hilarie L. & Mitchell Morgan, the Nash Family Foundation, Joline & David Stemerman, and by Dana McDonald Strong & Mark W. Strong.

Carl Cheng: Nature Never Loses is organized by The Contemporary Austin, Texas, in partnership with the Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; Bonnefanten, Maastricht; Museum Tinguely, Basel; and the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Institute of Contemporary Art, 118 South 36th Street, Philadelphia, United States