This artwork will “die” on 20 October 2052.

Today I’m 50.
Will I live to be 80?
Will I outlive this artwork?
Will this artwork outlive me?

The original CENTURY project is autobiographical. Creating art and experiencing art is the core of my life, and CENTURY is my homage to 20th Century artists. It’s a synthesis of their ideas.

CENTURY 2052 brings the endeavor to the 21st Century. It’s released as 50 unique artworks, one for each year since I was born. The artwork transitions from life to death at 6:44pm EST on October 20th 2052.

This isn't a commercial or public release. It’s a gift to others who have shaped the world of art that I inhabit.

CENTURY 2052

«Ottocento» is a collection of generative portraits of fictional historical figures. The series starts by exploring the nuances of the male figure as represented in the 19th century («Ottocento» in Italian). Further chapters of the project, focusing on different identities, are planned. The illustrations, drawn by hand and then converted to digital, constitute an ironic portrayal of the society of that era. The portraits, all in the same three-quarter view, reference the typological projects of German photographer August Sander.

Individual features and expressions are combined through the controlled randomness that generative art affords, deliberately blurring clear visual distinctions between nationalities, roles, and social classes. The result is an «Esperanto» of human types with an uncanny familiarity. Is that a poet? A salesman? An aristocrat? A farmer? Unlike Sander’s project, «Ottocento» doesn’t force any labels on the characters, eventually leaving the interpretation open to the viewer.

Ottocento

These shapes are nothing more than rectangles and lines.

And yet...

There is a concept in painting called 'pentimento', the presence of earlier forms or images that have been painted over. These could be changes that the artist made deliberately, or mistakes that they were able to cover. Sometimes as the paint fades, the pentimenti will be revealed, but often they will remain unseen.

The challenge is to recognize the pentimenti that influence the canvas, but cannot be found there even at the base layer. These are scattered throughout the years of the artist's life.

'Thoughts of Meadow' is a generative system that distorts a chess-like grid into complex shapes. Many of the outputs give the illusion of immense three-dimensional structures using simple geometric principles. It is an attempt to represent the concept of 'pentimento' through the rendering process. Each layer builds upon the complexity of the previous one but also covers it. If you look closely through the gaps in the grid, you can see the incremental changes that took place.

In that sense, this project is a reminder for myself of where I'm from, an incredibly small town called Meadow, and the gratitude I feel for the years I spent there. The first layer of my life's pentimento.

As always, I doubt this project would exist without the work and observations of Vera Molnár. Squares were certainly made for her, I just appreciate being able to borrow them once in a while.

Thoughts of Meadow

a floating spawn has appeared ... this site hosts a garden of spawns ... each generated from a unique seed that determines varying conditions for how they're made.

spawn

Computation is one of the most powerful tools for our age. It opens up a whole world of possibilities. Some people use its power to solve the mysteries of our universe through science. I’m using it to explore our relationship with beauty and perception.

“Miragem” *(Mirage in Portuguese)* is a generative project that requires your slow attention. It’s an exploration of rhythm, balance, and texture. Just simple elements in a coordinated dance, ruled by math and randomness.

**It’s an invitation for the eyes and mind to wander.**


 >>  ‎  
>> ## “Beauty is the mystery of life. It is not in the eye, it is in my mind. In our minds there is awareness of perfection.”
>> Agnes Martin

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*Please check the project website to know more about the composition and features.*

Art Blocks Presents

Miragem #186

Third Vision

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