National, 20 January 2026: Method, Delhi, presents RITES, a solo exhibition by Berlin– and New York–based artist and technologist Alida Sun, on view from 31 January to 15 March 2026. The exhibition brings together code, ritual, embroidery, mirrorwork, computational heritage, care, and solidarity-positioning technology as a site of resistance, intimacy, and collective imagination.
Exhibition at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Exhibition Title | RITES, A Solo Exhibition by Alida Sun |
| Artist | Alida Sun |
| Dates | 31 January – 15 March 2026 |
| Timings | 12pm – 7pm | Everyday except Mondays |
| Venue | Method, D Block, Basement, D-59, Defence Colony, New Delhi 110024 |
Technology as Ritual and Resistance
At the heart of RITES is Sun’s daily coding practice, sustained over 2,343 consecutive days and counting, where repetition becomes ritual and curiosity becomes a form of refusal. Through custom-built software systems, Sun reframes computation as a generative and communal act, offering an alternative to extractive models of Big Tech by foregrounding care, protection, and shared authorship.
Reclaiming Feminist Computational Histories
The exhibition draws attention to a frequently erased history—that women were the first computers and pioneers of software engineering, at a time when software was dismissed as feminised and secondary labour. RITES emerges from an urgent need to reclaim this computational heritage, restoring technology as a tool for creation and liberation rather than militarisation and surveillance.
Code Translated into Tapestry
Hand-coded and hand-embroidered, the works in RITES are produced through collaboration with a community of women artisans at SSMI, translating computational logic into richly textured tapestries. These works position coding as a practice of solidarity—supporting livelihoods while sustaining cultural knowledge and craft traditions. Embedded mirrorwork, rooted in histories of spiritual protection, extends this language of care into the visual and interactive dimensions of the exhibition.
Human-Machine Portraits and Protective Encryption
Each tapestry is generated through Sun’s bodily movement, captured via infrared light and translated into code as both signature and sigil. Every RITE becomes an abstracted human–machine portrait—functioning as dazzle camouflage and protective encryption in an age shaped by algorithmic surveillance.
Opening Night and Public Programme
The exhibition opens on 31 January 2026 at Method Delhi, with an evening hosted by Sanjana Rishi and Ruchika Sachdeva. The opening programme includes a presentation by Alida Sun, where she frames code as a living, multi-sensory medium that moves between sound, light, textiles, bodies, and space-privileging process over outcome and embracing glitches as sites of generative discovery.
Live-Coded Performance by Abhinay Khoparzi
The opening night will conclude with a live-coded audio-visual performance by Abhinay Khoparzi. Responding directly to the exhibition, Khoparzi’s improvisational soundscapes are generated in real time through algorithmic processes. His performance echoes RITES’ themes of ritual, encryption, camouflage, and resistance—positioning code as a shared space for contemplation, solidarity, and experimentation.
India Art Fair Parallel Presentation
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RITES is an official India Art Fair Parallel. Works by Alida Sun will also be presented at Method’s booth (E10) at the India Art Fair, scheduled from 5 to 8 February 2026, extending the exhibition’s dialogue into a wider international platform.
