stefan sagmeister retrofits historic paintings with data visualizations on modern society

‘now is better’ explores optimistic perspectives about humanity

A contemplative fusion of art history, contemporary design, and data visualization, Stefan Sagmeister’s exhibition ‘Now is Better’ spotlights long-term statistics on global development. Currently on display at New York’s Patrick Parrish Gallery, a series of original lenticular prints alongside adapted historical paintings are showcased to explore the developing state of humanity.

The compositions include canvases of old European paintings that Sagmeister scoured for throughout his home country, Austria, which have been fragmented and retrofitted with contemporary, abstract data visualizations on top. Through a thought-provoking blend of old and new, the exhibition encourages us to consider different, more optimistic perspectives towards the state of our society, urging us to focus on its growth and developments. 

American Dirt: CO2 emissions per person in the USA, 1880 – 2020 | all images courtesy of Stefan Sagmeister

stefan sagmeister fuses art history and contemporary data

‘Now is Better’ follows as a sequel to Stefan Sagmeister’s previous series ‘Beautiful Numbers’ with both exploring themes of liberal democracy. The new exhibition is inspired by the premise of long-term thinking, where each composition delves into global data trends — including themes ranging life expectancy to home ownership rates — between the span of 50 and 200 years.

As such, the works challenge the overwhelming amount of highly saturated, short-term media that we absorb about the world on a daily basis by offering a more grounding, data-oriented perspective towards understanding societal progress. Instead, the designer points towards ways that life on Earth has slowly been improving over time, posing a boost of hope as we continue working to make our ‘now’ a better place.

Standing Still: visualizing the time drivers around the world are stuck in stuck in traffic jams per year

Money to Learn: Public education spending in developed nations, 1880 – 2000

Spike in my Arm: USA Covid deaths depending on vaccination status

Richer and Poorer: share of the global population living in poverty, real and imagined

project info:

name: Now Is Better
designer: Stefan Sagmeister
exhibition: Patrick Parrish Gallery, New York | May 5 — June 16 2023 

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: ravail khan | designboom