👋 🌷 🐇 Dive straight into our Easter Special, where we've handpicked an exciting mix of 5 digital artists just for you.

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Yatreda ያጥሬዳ

Yatreda ያጥሬዳ is a family of artists from Ethiopia creating in the style of tizita- nostalgia and longing for the past. Led by Kiya Tadele, the group creates artwork that balances the new, like blockchain technology, with the old, preserving classic works of historical and cultural significance. This blend suggests the timeline of African history doesn’t simply end, and the stories are not finished. Yatreda is about rediscovering Africa’s original self.

Grant Yun

Grant Riven Yun, a self-taught digital artist, is crafting unique compositions inspired by 20th-century art and video game aesthetics. Embracing a "Neo-Precisionist" identity, Yun's work merges modernism with digital culture, exploring themes of human impact and modernization with a minimalist approach. His significant venture into the digital art space, marked by success at Sotheby's, positions him as an influential figure in the digital art community.

Paul Prudence

Paul Prudence is an artist known for blending sound, space, and form into immersive live-cinema experiences using computational techniques. His work, celebrated internationally, features complex geometric visuals synchronized with electroacoustic sound, offering a unique multisensory exploration.

Botto

Botto, created by artist Mario Klingemann, is an innovative AI project blending technology, art, and community engagement to redefine artistic creation. Unlike simple AI art tools, Botto evolves through learning from weekly community votes on its artworks, which are then minted as NFTs.

Klingemann's vision extends beyond just generating art; he sees Botto as an exploration in the possibility space of creativity, challenging the conventional boundaries of artistry. The project involves a DAO for community input, making Botto not just a tool but a participatory experiment in the journey toward artistic singularity.

Nicolas Sassoon

Nicolas Sassoon, a Franco-Canadian artist, is renowned for his innovative use of early computer imaging techniques to create distinct visual languages that blur the lines between digital and physical realms. His art, deeply rooted in pixelated aesthetics and digital animations, reflects on the digital condition and our relationship with the material world.

Sassoon's collaborative endeavors further explore the interactions between technology, natural forces, and ecological futures. Through his pioneering approach, he has made significant contributions to contemporary art, challenging traditional perceptions of digital and physical space.

Closing Remarks

Thank you for diving into our Easter Special, featuring artists from Yatreda's blend of history and to Botto's AI innovations. Feel free to share with us five artists we should highlight next. Happy Easter!

👋 Hello, we are Julian and Marcel, and welcome to our weekly edition of The Curious Collector. Each week we humbly curate what’s happening in the digital art realm. ✨

It is a subscriber-only newsletter, delivered every Sunday, highlighting mainly digital and sometimes physical art news.

Subscribe now

Welcome back, everyone, and a hearty welcome to our new subscribers who've just joined our community. We're thrilled to have you with us! ✨

News Digest

On Outland: Juliette Bibasse reflects on owning Lauren Lee McCarthy's work "Good Night" where she receives daily texts from the artist, blending personal connection with performance art, and explores the nuances of digital ownership and human interaction within the art and technology interface.

Sotheby's auction: "Digital Art Through the Decade", curated by MORROW collective, celebrates the evolution of digital art over the past 10 years, highlighting key pioneers of the blockchain art movement since 2014.

The auction features both historic and contemporary works, tracing the significant contributions and milestones of artists.

Refik Anadol Live: In a conversation with NVIDIA's Richard Kerris, he details his process behind "Large Nature Model" an AI art installation created from half a billion ethically sourced images using the NVIDIA Picasso platform.

Btw, the MUTATIO release by XCOPY and NeonGlitch86 on Base achieved a total mint of 1,023,831, generating approximately $2.35M in sales at a rate of $2.3 per item.

Upcoming

• Blooms by Cory Haber: Verse Mar 25 at 3pm

• Los Angelizing by Margaret Murphy: Verse, Mar 25 at 7pm

• Botanical Study #1 by Petra Cortright: Verse, Mar 29 at 7pm

Digital Highlight

In "GlassyLove" by Erfan Hoseini, the artwork delves into the concept of love at first sight through abstract animation, using changing glass textures and colors on familiar shapes to symbolize the brain's efforts to compare the incomprehensible to the likable, highlighting barriers to understanding.

Notable Insight

“Embarking on a new milestone, I've taken out the largest ever loan against a single piece of digital art: “Crypto is Bullshit” by Beeple, with a groundbreaking $400,000 loan. This marks another pioneering moment in the journey of digital art and its evolution.”

Pablo Rodríguez-Fraile

This illustrates the accelerating convergence of art and finance, particularly as blockchain technology simplifies and accelerates transactions.

Such developments highlight a significant evolution in how digital artworks are appreciated not only for their artistic value but also leveraged as liquid assets.

Sale Spotlight

Artist to Watch

Holly Herndon and Mathew Dryhurst are pioneering figures in integrating machine learning and software into music and digital art, recognized for their innovative approaches to digital identity and ownership, with significant contributions to education, open research, and the art community.

Collectors to Watch

• lemonde2d

• Anna Wolf

• shambo

Closing Remarks

To wrap up, the extraordinary $400,000 loan against a digital artwork highlights the promising trajectory of digital art as a significant financial asset. Thank you for being part of this week's exploration into the evolving world of digital art.

👋 Hello, we are Julian and Marcel, and welcome to our weekly edition of The Curious Collector. Each week we humbly curate what’s happening in the digital art realm. ✨

It is a subscriber-only newsletter, delivered every Sunday, highlighting mainly digital and sometimes physical art news.

Subscribe now

Welcome back, everyone! We're delighted to have you with us again and want to extend a warm welcome to all our new subscribers who've recently joined our community. ✨

News Digest

Digital Culture Fund: Hivemind Capital is trying to raise at least $50 million for a fund that will focus on the nexus between blockchain technology and digital art. The New York-based investment firm has already raised around half of its goal for the Hivemind Digital Culture Fund.

Taming the Tools: Here you see a diverse range of AI-generated video art from the Fellowship AI Daily Program, demonstrating the evolving use of AI tools through a curated time capsule of innovative works.

We ❤️ The Art: Announcing the winners of 188 artists across Optimism, celebrated with a 1,200,000 OP prize pool in four categories, judged by industry voices and spotlighting the top 17 generative artists.

Upcoming

• “Memento Mori” by Richard Nadler, gm.scibe.art, march 18th 5PM, UTC (12:00 ET)

• “gwanak-gu” by earthsample, verse.works, march 21th

• (loop (format t "~%")) by nouseskou, daily.xyz, march 21, (1:00 PM ET)

Digital Highlight

jn3008 creates fascinating looping animations with code.

Notable Insight

“Digital is reality. […] And so from where I stand, there is no contemporary art without media art, without digital art.”

Tina Rivers Ryan

Tina Rivers Ryan has been announced as the new editor in chief of Artforum, bringing her expertise as an art historian, curator, and critic to the publication amid recent editorial challenges.

With a strong background in art history and a focus on video and digital art, Ryan aims to uphold Artforum's tradition of thought-provoking content, deepen its engagement with digital and media art, and maintain its core identity as a printed publication.

Sale Spotlight

Yosnier, a Tampa-based digital artist, creates spiritually themed art with pastel colors and stained glass-like outlines, exploring love, growth, and resilience through tarot-inspired motifs that embody their personal and complex identity.

Artist to Watch

Kitasavi is an artist and designer from Russia currently based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. He casually creates new worlds with a mix from 2D and 3D elements.

Collectors to Watch

• kevinyin.eth

• ralgo.eth

• SuperRare John

Closing Remarks

Closing this issue, we're energized by Tina Rivers Ryan's perspective that digital art is essential to contemporary art, a view that aligns with Hivemind Capital's strides towards their $50 million Digital Culture Fund. These developments highlight the vibrant future of digital art. ❤️‍🔥

👋 Hello, we are Julian and Marcel, and welcome to our weekly edition of The Curious Collector. Each week we humbly curate what’s happening in the digital art realm. ✨

It is a subscriber-only newsletter, delivered every Sunday, highlighting mainly digital and sometimes physical art news.

Subscribe now

Hello everyone and a warm welcome to those who've recently joined us! We're excited to have you as part of our growing community and thrilled to have you reading this week's issue.

News Digest

We strongly suggest checking out these two fascinating reads from this week:

Mona Lisa to Monogrid: The evolution from traditional paintings like "Mona Lisa" to digital art like "monogrid" reflects art's mechanization and digitalization.

This shift, emphasizing systematic, algorithmic, and digital approaches, challenges the dominance of static images on canvas, highlighting the expanding possibilities for creative expression through machines and coded art.

Artists on Games: Mitchell F. Chan explores the impact of gaming on contemporary artists, revealing how childhood and professional experiences with video games shape their creative processes, from generative art to conceptual explorations in digital spaces.

The artists, including Dmitri Cherniak, Godmin, Noor Alé, and 113, share insights from games like Mario Kart 64, JezzBall, Tears of the Kingdom and Xenosaga.

Upcoming

• “Strata“ by Alkan Avcıoğlu, Magic Eden, March 12th

• “Mitosis” by moodsoup, Magic Eden, March 13th

Digital Highlight

Josep Prat Sorolla, known as SEPE, is a versatile visual artist from Barcelona. Over the past decade, he has made a significant mark as a creative and art director, illustrator, animator, and film director, engaging in both artistic and commercial endeavors. SEPE is distinguished by his multidisciplinary approach, skillfully blending digital methods with analog techniques to infuse a unique "graphic nostalgia" into his projects.

Notable Insight

“For me, the most concise definition of generative art is that the artist creates a system and the system creates the art. So it's an art of making systems.”

Casey Reas

Sale Spotlight

Nude Yoga Girl's journey, sparked by the creation of "I" from a blend of photography, yoga, and art within her apartment, marks a transformative exploration into self-expression, leading to her viral success and profound personal and artistic growth.

Artist to Watch

Summer Wagner is a Midwest-based photographer whose work blends fantasy and reality to explore spiritual, ecological, and technological themes in a post-industrial world.

Collectors to Watch

• Space_Sprockets

• LowkeyVentures (Collection Curated by: @aabenron @0xBriann)

• Poseidon DAO

Closing Remarks

This week's digest from classic canvases to digital forms and the playful influence of nostalgic games on today's artists showcases just how manifold creativity can be. Each work we've explored serves as a reminder that art constantly evolves, inviting us to embrace its new forms.

👋 Hello, we are Julian and Marcel, and welcome to our weekly edition of The Curious Collector. Each week we humbly curate what’s happening in the digital art realm. ✨

It is a subscriber-only newsletter, delivered every Sunday, highlighting mainly digital and sometimes physical art news.

Subscribe now

Welcome back to all our returning readers, and a hearty welcome to our new subscribers who've just joined our community. We're thrilled to have you with us! ✨

News Digest

We highly recommend delving into these two insightful reads from this week:

Outland & Hans Ulrich Obrist: This text discusses the evolution of the metaverse and its implications for art and culture, drawing insights from a conversation between curator Hans Ulrich Obrist, Jason Li, and Christopher Y. Lew in "On NFTs" published by Taschen.

It emphasizes the metaverse's roots in science fiction and its potential as a space for innovative art and community building, while also considering the challenges of interoperability, corporate control, and the need for a diverse, inclusive digital future.

The Blockchain Was Invented for NFTs, Not Currency: An interview with Scott Stornetta and Stuart Haber offers crucial insight into the origins of blockchain technology, highlighting its initial purpose for securing digital record integrity, similar to NFTs, rather than for cryptocurrencies.

It's a must-read for anyone looking to grasp the significant historical technical work that has informed the blockchain's varied applications today.

Upcoming

• Barbarians by Jacek Markusiewicz, March 06, 12 PM ET, Verse

• Static dispersals & reconstructed fables by LEGIO X, March 07, 12 PM ET, Daily.xyz

• Group Exhibition “SOUND MACHINES“ March 14, Feral File

Digital Highlight

Jon Noorlander, a Swedish artist with over two decades of experience in creative direction, has crafted immersive digital experiences for diverse industries and notable projects, drawing inspiration from his artistic family and global residencies.

Notable Insight

Elizabeth Goodspeed emphasizes the growing necessity for good taste in the design and art world, beyond mere technical skills, as AI and templated tools make those skills increasingly accessible.

She argues that good taste, which involves selecting and combining elements in unique and interesting ways, is not innate but developed through diverse exposures and experiences, challenging creatives to trust their instincts and cultivate their unique preferences amidst a culture of curation and trend-following.

Sale Spotlight

BURNER is a dynamic digital art series of 256 artworks that evolve with every Ethereum block, reflecting live gas prices and showcasing the blockchain's influence through abstract, ever-changing visuals created by crashblossom and Ariel Becker.

Artist to Watch

Iv Solyaev lives and works in Tbilisi. He has worked in digital graphics since 2003 and has taken part in many major projects both as a concept artist and art director. His clients include Universal Pictures, HBO, Nintendo, Intel, MPC, and Adult Swim.

Collectors to Watch

• Dino G.

• danpolko.eth

• jell

Closing Remarks

As we part, remember: good taste is shaped by diverse experiences. Let this inspire your creative path. See you in the next edition.

👋 Hello, we are Julian and Marcel, and welcome to our weekly edition of The Curious Collector. Each week we humbly curate what’s happening in the digital art realm. ✨

It is a subscriber-only newsletter, delivered every Sunday, highlighting mainly digital and sometimes physical art news.

Subscribe now

Welcome back, everyone! We're delighted to have you with us again and want to extend a warm welcome to all our new subscribers who've recently joined our community. ✨

News Digest

Autoglyphs: A set of 10 Autoglyphs, a pioneering on-chain generative art project by Larva Labs, released in April 2019, was sold for 5,000 ETH ($14.536 million) in one of the largest digital art transactions to date. This sale highlights the collector's intention to display these pieces in museums and institutional settings, underlining the enduring significance and appeal of digital art on the blockchain.

Optimism Airdrop: Optimism Airdrop: $40M in OP tokens were distributed among 22,998 addresses, with each address receiving an average of approximately $1,740, to honor artists and creators for their vital contributions to the ecosystem and wider crypto community. Artists earned this acknowledgment through active engagement on platforms like Zora, Base, Ethereum mainnet, and Optimism mainnet, highlighting their crucial role in shaping the cultural narrative.

MoMA’s strategy: The interview provides a comprehensive overview of MoMA's approach to digital art, featuring insights from curator Paola Antonelli and collection specialist Paul Galloway about the complexities of acquiring digital artworks such as video games and NFTs. It emphasizes MoMA's interdisciplinary method to enhance digital collections and foster audience interaction.

Upcoming

• “Poptarteds” by Alice Gordon, Magic Eden, February 27, 6pm UTC

• “Isle of Alcina” by Tù.úk’z, Verse, Feb 29 at 7:00pm

• “Seven” by RedruM, Braindrops

Digital Highlight

Mathirissmer, a digital artist and architect from Germany is renowned for his “Kinetic Paintings” that blend visual composition, dynamic movement, and scalable architecture, creating a unique, perceptual experience enhanced by stark black and white contrasts and occasional vivid colors.

Notable Insight

Botto, a software robot and AI artist created through a collaboration between Mario Klingemann and Eleven Yellow in October 2021, has revolutionized the community concept by allowing the $BOTTO token holders to curate its outputs, with over $3.5 million in art sales from weekly auctions.

Every week, Botto's AI generates 350 art fragments, from which the DAO votes to select one piece for auction. The proceeds from these sales are then distributed among the token holders, aligning the interests of the artist AI and its community.

The economic success is underpinned by the sale of more than 100 unique artworks, attracting over 60 individual collectors and engaging a community of over 3,600 token holders.

Sale Spotlight

Proscenium by remnynt is an art algorithm that transforms three-dimensional geometric landscapes into abstract, textured canvas paintings. Focused on aesthetic emergence, it combines simple systems to produce surprising, complex artworks, inviting viewers to envision dynamic paint.

Artist to Watch

Jacek Markusiewicz (mrkswcz) is a Polish architect and creative coder with 15 years of experience in academia and professional studios, specializing in parametric architecture and responsive design, blending architectural and natural elements with mathematical and algorithmic logic.

Collectors to Watch

• batsoupyum
• VonMises
• Pravijn

Closing Remarks

As we conclude this issue, the stories of Autoglyphs, Optimism, and Botto offer a glimpse into the transformative power of digital art and blockchain. The fusion of artistic vision with technology is expanding the boundaries of creativity and ownership.

👋 Hello, we are Julian and Marcel, and welcome to our weekly edition of The Curious Collector. Each week we humbly curate what’s happening in the digital art realm. ✨

It is a subscriber-only newsletter, delivered every Sunday, highlighting mainly digital and sometimes physical art news.

Subscribe now

Welcome back, everyone! We're thrilled to have you with us once again and extend a special thank you to all the new subscribers who have decided to join our community in the past week. Your support and interest mean the world to us, and we're excited to share this journey with each of you. ✨

News Digest

OpenAI's Sora: A new text-to-video model, represents a significant advancement in AI, creating complex videos sooner than expected and hinting at a future where the creation of highly realistic, interactive environments, akin to the holodeck from science fiction, could become a reality. This marks a crucial step towards AI's ability to replicate and understand the dynamics of the real world.

Agnieszka Pilat is pioneering in the integration of art and technology, notably through her collaborations with SpaceX and Boston Dynamics, using robotics to create art that explores the symbiotic relationship between humans and machines. Her work challenges traditional artistic boundaries and offers a futuristic vision of creativity where machines not only aid but also co-create with artists.

Miss Metaverse: Melissa Wiederrecht and Ana María Caballero's new work satirizes the distortion of artists' identities in Web3, critiquing the commodification of self for visibility, particularly for women. It uses interactive elements to contrast public and private selves, highlighting the paradox of seeking independence through a marketable persona.

Upcoming

Digital

• Spellbound by Anna Lucia & Phoebe Hess: fxhash, Feb 20, 5pm

• Monument by Kjetil Golid: Verse, Feb 21, 7pm

• LINE by Figure31: FingerprintsDAO, Feb 21, 7pm

IRL @ Paris

NFT Paris begins next week, featuring numerous side events. Details can be found here, and we've highlighted a few for you:

• Superchief Gallery Events

• Agoria’s exhibition at Musée d'Orsay

• Bright Moments: Artist Panel & Workshops

• Vetro Books Launch @ Galerie Data

Digital Highlight

Argentinian artist stipinpixel, who creates his animated art using pixels, describes “Lavender Memories” as follows:

Amidst lavender's scent,
Maruca dance takes flight,
A memory transcends.

Notable Insight

“Aesthetic will be commoditized by AI.
Artist and narrative will increasingly fill the void.”

Patrick Amadon

In an era where AI is reshaping the boundaries of creation, the timeless importance of compelling narratives and the artist's unique voice becomes increasingly pronounced.

Here is an example by Nick St. Pierre regarding the commodization of aesthetics as he ran all of the Sora prompts through Midjourney.

You can clearly see how similar the outputs are. Artists who train their own models with unique inputs will stand out.

Sale Spotlight

The Rise and Fall is a great collaboration by Mark Wilson, xer0x and Luis Ponce.

The best description of the work comes from Laurence Fuller, who says, “The Rise and Fall is basically a Martin Scorsese film in just a few short seconds”.

Artist to Watch

Chuck Anderson, known as "NoPattern" is a multidisciplinary artist, designer, and creative director renowned for his surreal use of color and light, and innovative blending of traditional and digital media.

Collectors to Watch

• Jean-Michel Pailhon

• bastiboii

• Kero

Closing Remarks

Thank you for joining our weekly exploration. We look forward to sharing more news, artworks, and discoveries with you in our next issue. Your feedback is invaluable to us, so please feel free to share your thoughts and suggestions as we continue this journey together. 🙏

👋 Hello, we are Julian and Marcel, and welcome to our weekly edition of The Curious Collector. Each week we humbly curate what’s happening in the digital art realm. ✨

It is a subscriber-only newsletter, delivered every Sunday, highlighting mainly digital and sometimes physical art news.

Subscribe now

In this edition, we spotlight Laurence Fuller's “cinematic poetry” that merges film with verse, highlight the launch of “Pebbles” by Zeblocks in the genart scene, delve into the profound impact of viewing digital art through AR/VR, and explore the unique narrative of “Auntieverse” through AI, all while showcasing works of other remarkable artists and collectors. Join us and enjoy the read!

News Digest

Cinematic Poetry: Laurence Fuller is shaping the web3 poetry scene with his "cinematic poetry" blending film and written word, showcased on platforms like SuperRare and in collaborations with stars like Val Kilmer. His latest, "Winter Garden" with Vincent D’Onofrio, combines AI art and poetry, making this interview a fascinating read for fans of innovative art forms.

Pebbles: NextGen, initiated by renowned collector 6529, recently launched "Pebbles" by Zeblocks, the first in a series from its genart platform using AI and smart contracts. The collection, blending the organic diversity of stones with a modernist twist, has quickly become a topic of excitement on Twitter.

Vera Molnár Exhibition: This Saturday marked the start of the Ludwig Museum Budapest's tribute to Vera Molnár, a pioneer in generative art, with an exhibition running until April 14th. It showcases Molnár's legacy alongside international artists, including aurèce vettier, featured in this week's interview.

Upcoming

Digital

• “Portrait study 6 & 7” by Alice Gordon: Daily.xyz, Feb 13 & 16, 6 pm CET

• “Proscenium” by remnynt: Art Blocks, Feb 14, 7pm CET

IRL @ Berlin

• “Hokus Pokus Hyper Focus” by Jagoda Bednarsky: Office Impart, Feb 16, 6-9 pm

• “Coded Cubes” by Hans Dehlinger & Betha Sarasin: EXPANDED.ART, Feb 15, 6-9pm

Digital Highlight

"Dialog Box" by Duane King, Scott Brewer, Adam Moliski is a playful generative art project that encourages viewers to explore the concept of choice in the digital age, using an interface inspired by early Mac OS.

It involves interactive digital artworks distributed across various blockchains utilizing NFT’s to represent choices rooted in 80s and 90s pop culture.

Notable Insight

“You can’t even compare it to looking at digital art at home on a phone or laptop or monitor viewing it in AR/VR truly feels like the way digital art was meant to be experienced.”

DCinvestor

In light of Apple Vision Pro's recent launch, there's a compelling opinion circulating: Viewing digital art through this AR/VR technology offers a transformative experience far beyond what phones, laptops, or monitors can provide, suggesting it's the new way digital art was intended to be enjoyed.

However, renowned digital artist Beeple holds a different stance and has expressed disappointment with the current version, believing that the future lies in smaller glasses evolving to offer more, rather than larger glasses shrinking in size.

Sale Spotlight

"Niceaunties" an art project by a Singaporean artist, draws from a childhood surrounded by the influential women of her family in 1980s Singapore, crafting a narrative that reflects on the suppressed talents and dreams of these women amidst the region's distinct "auntie culture".

It emerges as a surreal, AI-created world that rebels against societal norms and celebrates the freedom of self-expression, serving as a tribute to the collective subconscious of “aunties” and challenging the constraints imposed on women.

The 1000 works of the Auntieverse consist of several sub-verses: Auntiecity, Spa Menu, Factory, Auntieque, Auntiesocial, Fashion, Tesla, Ikea, Moma, Nasa.

Artist to Watch

Florian Zumbrunn is an artist who embraces the unexpected in his creative process, using code to develop evolving algorithms. His work, which merges digital and physical elements, includes a variety of forms like installations, paintings, and prints. Notable for its innovation, his art has been exhibited in major cities such as Tokyo, Milano, and Paris, where he currently lives.

Collectors to Watch

• Pixelpete

• zaphodok

• gianna

Closing Remarks

In this edition, we've peeked into the transformative potential of AR/VR for viewing digital art, offering a glimpse into how technology is reshaping our experiences with art. Thank you for exploring these and other art narratives with us; we look forward to seeing you again next week.

We are excited to launch a new series in our newsletter: Dialogues. 

This series is dedicated to introducing you to selected artists, curators, and collectors. With this new format, we aim to bring you closer to the people who are shaping the digital art landscape.

Our first guest is none other than aurèce vettier. We've had the pleasure of knowing Paul since last year and are thrilled that he's agreed to join us for this inaugural edition, especially amidst his busy schedule with the upcoming Bright Moments launch in Paris, where he will be unveiling his dream-inspired works.

His journey to artistry began in a nature-rich childhood and evolved through tech and art exposure, leading to a unique blend of AI and art. He is currently working on large-scale AI sculptures and tapestries, and remains committed to environmental causes.

Socials: Twitter, Instagram

aurèce vettier - Unveiling Dreams Through AI

Can you describe your path to becoming an artist? Were there any key moments or people who played a big part in this?

I was born in the mountains and, as far as I can remember, as a child I used to tinker with things, I used to talk with animals and I was very much in close contact with nature. I also loved sharing these discoveries with my friends and family, sometimes by putting on exhibitions in my garden or at school. In a way, I'm doing the same thing today as I did when I was a child, but using more sophisticated means and techniques.

After studying advanced mathematics - called Classes Préparatoires in France - I went on to study computer science at engineering school. During my studies, my student job consisted of working for an art and fashion magazine called Purple: I documented hundreds of art exhibitions, met many artists and started writing about art.

In 2016, I set up a company specialising in a field of artificial intelligence - computer vision - which applied this field to fashion. On that occasion, I was in charge of training AI models, and I met the first artists who were working with artificial intelligence with whom I had some interesting discussions. 

In 2019, the planets aligned: the intense desire to open a laboratory for artistic creation was combined with a visit to the Venice Biennale that year.

A lot of the artists there were focusing purely on evoking problems, and I had the very strong intuition that we were at the end of a cycle, that the place of the artist was going to change radically in the next few years, particularly with the emergence of cutting-edge tools such as artificial intelligence.

Is there a particular source of inspiration that has significantly impacted your artistic approach or practice?

Like many artists, I assimilate immense quantities of information, and I also try to have all sorts of adventures in everyday life.

I read a lot, but it's true that certain authors, for very different reasons, have a certain importance in my thinking. I'm referring in particular to Jacques Abeille, René Daumal, Haruki Murakami, the poetry of Aurelie Nemours, all the works of Jorge Luis Borges and in particular the short story 'Circular Ruins'.

In art, I collect a lot of work by artists who pioneered the man-machine relationship, such as Vera Molnár and Manfred Mohr. I'm also very interested in Arte Povera artists such as Giuseppe Penone, Iannis Kounellis and Michelangelo Pistoletto, and certain conceptual artists like On Kawara.

I would say, however, that my main source of inspiration is my everyday life. I hope it doesn't sound pretentious when I say it, but I use a lot of personal texts and images in my work, because this allows me to achieve an aesthetic that I understand and control.

What core message or vision do you aim to convey through your art, and how do you hope it resonates with your audience

On a personal level, my work first and foremost allows me to engage in a kind of ongoing introspection, an inner journey. 

As part of the series I'm about to unveil for Bright Moments' AI Collection in Paris, I've trained a text-to-image model on my photos, from childhood to the present day.

By using this model to interpret my dreams over the last few months, I'm trying to find a universal watermark to all this, by leveraging the absorptive and digestive capacities of artificial intelligences.

I'm also very excited about the distribution of the works. I like to see where the works end up with collectors.

As my studio grows and my income increases, I'm starting to channel that income into causes that are close to my heart, such as ecosystem restoration. I really like the idea of AI-generated dream paintings or impossibly shaped plants helping to decontaminate soil in the real world, or restore a forest.

Thinking back to your first digital artworks, how do you feel about them now?

At the time, a lot of people around me told me that I didn't have the pedigree to become an artist. I opened my studio at the age of 29, I didn't go to art school - although I'm well versed in art history - in short, I wasn't part of the clan.

In the studio, I'm often silent and alone. This gives me time to think: do I really want to send the piece out into the world? 

Sometimes not, in which case I destroy it or transform it.

Sometimes yes, in which case I give it a unique reference, add it to my list of works and it leaves the studio. At that point, I no longer have any control over its destiny and I accept it.

On the whole, I'm the kind of person who prefers to do the work, who prefers to feel remorse rather than regret.

Do you have a dream project that you haven’t started yet? What makes it so exciting for you?

At the moment, I'm in the process of moving up a scale: I'm designing very large AI-generated sculptures and tapestries.

I want to create an amazing, enveloping ecosystem. 

What excites me is designing forms that we've never seen before, and working hand in hand with excellent craftsmen - founders, tapestry-makers, decorative painters, to bring these forms into real life, while making a set of totally exciting compromises.

As in mathematics, when you project into a space with fewer dimensions, you have to choose how to do it, and decide what information you're prepared to lose.

Which digital artists do you feel should receive more attention, and what aspects of their work do you find most exciting?

There are a lot of them, so I'm going to take the liberty of mentioning a few AI artists that I can also call my friends. I really enjoy interacting and working with Robbie Barrat, Sofia Crespo, Sasha Stiles, Anne Spalter or Gordon Berger.  

Beyond AI, I find the work of web3 artists like Agoria, Albertine Meunier, Operator, Kalen Iwamoto, Qubibi, Ana Maria Caballero, SamJ, Primavera de Filippi, Pierre Pauze, Merzmensch, Mattia Cuttini or u2p050 just fascinating.

I also believe that the role of curators in this space is crucial, and it's maybe the people that should receive more praise, but also that should benefit from an improved revenue model: Fanny Lakoubay, Beth Jochim, Stina Gustafsson, Sofia Garcia, Micol Apruzzese, Diane Drubay, Toni Marinara, Alex Estorick, Viola Lukács, Clara Peh, Kate Vass, Mimi Nguyen, Zsofi Valyi-Nagy, Caroline Vossen, Tina Rivers Ryan, Julia Kaganskiy, Gaia Bobò - to only name a few.

Do you have any upcoming collections, works, or exhibitions planned in the near future that you're particularly enthusiastic about?

I am currently showing a triptych of paintings at the Ludwig Museum in Budapest, as part of "A la Recherche de Vera Molnár", an exhibition paying tribute to this great artist.

It is a reconstitution of the profile of Mount Sainte Victoire, a recurring motif in Vera's work.

In February, I'll be taking part in the AI Collection at the Bright Moments event in Paris, with 100 AI-generated works based on descriptions of my dreams.

And by the end of the year, I hope to be able to deploy my forest of large bronze trees somewhere.

Spotlight

aurèce vettier is an art project founded in 2019 by Paul Mouginot (b. 1990). This alias, formed using an algorithm, is a metaphor for the desire for a collaborative, open and hybrid approach.

This identity, like all of aurèce vettier’s work, allows for a lot of back and forth between the «real» space in which it is possible to exist, to draw, paint, sculpt, break, erase; and the «data» space, where it is possible to play with more dimensions than a human can grasp.

Website

Exhibitions

Featured works

👋 Hello, we are Julian and Marcel, and welcome to our weekly edition of The Curious Collector. Each week we humbly curate what’s happening in the digital art realm. ✨

It is a subscriber-only newsletter, delivered every Sunday, highlighting mainly digital and sometimes physical art news.

Subscribe now

This week is buzzing with fascinating developments and upcoming exhibitions! We're spotlighting We Are Museums' program and Sotheby's changes to their fee structure.

Dive into Ivan Dianov's stunning visual art and explore Claire Silver's new collection. Don't miss the thought-provoking insights from Danielle King and Jason Bailey. Plus, we're highlighting the brilliant work of Helio Santos and notable collectors.

News Digest

WAC Lab Season 3: We Are Museums, in partnership with the Tezos Foundation and LAL ART, has chosen 20 cultural institutions, including the Van Gogh Museum, for a tech integration program. Backed by 35 mentors, it's set to transform museum interaction with emerging technologies. Mentor highlight: Stina Gustafsson, highly recommended based on a past collaboration.

Sotheby's Fee Structure: Announcing major changes including reduced buyer's premiums, the elimination of the overhead premium, standardised seller commission rates, and increased transparency with published rate cards. These changes aim to simplify and enhance transparency in the auction process.

Art Blocks Acquires Sansa: A strategic move to establish a generative art hub, expanding Art Blocks' reach in the digital art market.

Upcoming

• "Auntieverse” by Niceaunties: Daily.xyz, Feb 6

• “Ridge Regression” by Pierre Casadebaig: Verse, Feb 6

• “The Paris & AI Collection” with 20 artists: Bright Moments, Feb 7

• “Heuristics of Emotion” by Jeres: Verse, Feb 8

• “Heartsleeves” by LOVID: Tonic, Feb 9

Digital Highlight

Programmed visualization of a cymbal stroke, created by Ivan Dianov. He is a teacher of generative art at HSE University and founder of genclub.club, explores complexity through code, utilizing computer simulations, multi-agent systems, and cellular automata, and embraces coding bugs as artistic symbols of the world's inherent complexity and unpredictability.

Notable Insight

“I don’t want this space to be a duplicated online version of the traditional art world because I worked in that world for many years and there are many things that are wrong with it.”

Danielle King and Jason Bailey discuss in this article the evolving landscape of digital art, focusing on the shift in public perception, the impact of market changes on artists and platforms, and the growing influence of AI in artistic creation.

The key insight for us is that it is imperative that as we navigate this, we actively work to avoid replicating the hierarchical, exclusive, and often opaque structures of the traditional art world. Instead, we should strive to foster an ecosystem that is inclusive and artist-centric.

Sale Spotlight

Claire Silver's "corpo | real" collection, featured on Braindrops, achieved a sell-out this week, raising 500 ETH (approximately $1.17 million).

The artist utilizes AI in this collection to delve into humanity's narrative across various historical and cultural movements, highlighting the role of fashion as both a reflection of the times and a form of self-expression.

This collection aims to probe our evolving relationship with technology and society. The profits are allocated to a confidential project, which aims to transform mainstream perceptions of AI, NFTs, and digital ownership.

Discover Claire’s perspective on her collection here.

Artist to Watch

Helio Santos is a Mexican artist renowned for his work in creative coding, machines, and nature. His 2023 highlights include solo shows in Mexico City and participations in international exhibitions in London, France, Tokyo, and New York.

Collectors to Watch

• Alex

• Duane

• Pablo Punkasso

Closing Remarks

This issue highlights the crucial importance of cultivating an inclusive and diverse digital art world, one that moves beyond the constraints of the traditional art market. Claire Silver's commercial success serves as a powerful testament to the digital art market's dynamism and growth – it's far from stagnant or dead. See you next week!

👋 Hello, we are Julian and Marcel, and welcome to our weekly edition of The Curious Collector. Each week we humbly curate what’s happening in the digital art realm. ✨

It is a subscriber-only newsletter, delivered every Sunday, highlighting mainly digital and sometimes physical art news.

Subscribe now

In this issue, we delve into Kim Asendorf's journey in digital art and highlight pioneering artists and collectors shaping the space. We offer you the latest insights and developments in the world of digital art, blockchain, and beyond.

News Digest

Kim Asendorf, residing in Berlin, offers an honest account of his artistic journey in an interview, discussing the highs and lows experienced as he transitioned from Web2 to Web3. His path ultimately led to his involvement with NFTs and blockchain, offering reflections on the impermanence of digital art in Web2.

Artist Residence Program: AOTM proudly announces its inaugural Artists in Residence Program, “AiR I”. The program warmly welcomes its first residents: Amaan Jahangir, Goyong, and Rebecca Rose.

Open Call: objkt and Fakewhale are collaborating on a release with limited slots available. To apply as a featured artist, email fakewhalexyz@gmail.com or share an unminted work in the comment thread. Deadline is January 30th at 00:00 CET.

Upcoming

• “Smile” by Roope Rainisto: Own platform, January 30

• “Disconnected” by Stefano Contiero: Unit London, January 30

• “Balance” by Kelly Milligan x Amber Vittoria: Art Blocks, January 31, 7pm CET

• “Struggle for Pleasure” by Harm van den Dorpel: Verse, February 1, 7pm CET

Digital Highlight

“Enter a prompt and this “non-AI artist” will render it as an artwork. What started as a joke on social media has turned into a queue of over 1000 prompts for Pablo Delcan, the artist behind Prompt Brush.”

Full article

You can send him a message with your prompt, and he will create a drawing using black ink on paper and send it to you.

More results »here«

Notable Insight

“Video games are to the twenty-first century what movies were to the twentieth century and novels to the nineteenth century.”

Hans Ulrich Obrist

His commentary on the 21st century significance of video games, made during his curation of the "Worldbuilding: Gaming and Art in the Digital Age" exhibition at the Julia Stoschek Foundation in Düsseldorf, mirrors the Foundation's vision.

This exhibition exemplifies their commitment to melding various media forms like video games, VR, and AI into the art world, signifying their transformation from mere entertainment to vital artistic expressions.

Sale Spotlight

Nathan Boey is a versatile artist who enjoys creating breathtaking creations that touch the soul. Skilled in both live-action and animation, he uses cameras and computers to produce art for brands and companies, driven by his simple love of making things.

Artist to Watch

Sarah Meyohas is a conceptual artist known for pioneering crypto art, creating the first art-backed cryptocurrency “Bitchcoin”, and exploring the intersection of technology, economics, and biology in her work.

Current auction on Christies is live until January 31st.

Collectors to Watch

This week, we're introducing three collectors with exceptional collections:

• Ian Rogers & Hedvig Maigre

• Mr. Justice

• COVVBOY
  

Closing Remarks

We hope you've enjoyed this issue's journey through the dynamic realms of digital art and blockchain. Your continued interest fuels our exploration into this rapidly evolving field. Looking forward to uncovering more groundbreaking stories together in our upcoming editions.

👋 Hello, we are Julian and Marcel, and welcome to our weekly edition of The Curious Collector. Each week we humbly curate what’s happening in the digital art realm. ✨

It is a subscriber-only newsletter, delivered every Sunday, highlighting mainly digital and sometimes physical art news.

Subscribe now

In this edition, we're excited to introduce new talents joining the roster of AOTM and take a deep dive into Ai Weiwei's thought-provoking project. We'll also explore Refik Anadol's pioneering work presented at the World Economic Forum.

Plus, look forward to our curated selection of upcoming exhibitions, a digital highlight featuring Thion's generative art, and a spotlight on an intriguing Bitcoin Ordinal sale.

News Digest

Art of This Millennium (AOTM), a global gallery specializing in contemporary digital art, is expanding its artist collective with the addition of four outstanding new artists: Yet Seneca, Mark Wilson, Jack Butcher, and Yatreda, two of whom we have featured in recent issues.

We are genuinely intrigued by Ai Weiwei's innovative work, “Ai vs AI”, showcased in London’s Piccadilly Circus and live-streamed daily by CIRCA.

Over the course of 81 days, symbolizing the time he spent detained by the Chinese government in 2011, Ai Weiwei engages in a dialogue with an artificial intelligence, posing philosophical questions and comparing his responses with those generated by the AI.

It's part of a public art exhibition and invites us to pause and reflect on the profound questions of our times, offering a unique opportunity to witness how art can stimulate dialogue on important global issues.

Refik Anadol introduces the Large Nature Model at the 54th World Economic Forum, a groundbreaking open-source generative AI model focusing on nature, and a key component of his DATALAND project - a future museum and digital art platform dedicated to data visualization and AI arts.

It's inspiring to see digital art, especially when combined with artificial intelligence and environmental advocacy, gaining recognition on such a prominent platform.

Upcoming

• Digital Chemicals by Dawnia Darkstone: Avant Arte, January 23, 3pm CET

• Växt by Tengil: Art Blocks, January 24, 7pm CET

• Centrifuge by William Mapan: Avant Arte, January 24, 3pm CET

Digital Highlight

"Tranquility" by Thion, a generative artist from South Korea, is a digital art piece that depicts nature scenes (e.g. green grass and small flowers), created entirely through code, offering a calm and nature-inspired visual experience. (mint is still open!)

Notable Insight

“Curation will win the long term game This isn't just an observable trend in our industry – it's a timeless lesson from history The real winners? Those who master the art of selecting the best, not just the most. Quality trumps quantity, every time.”

Pablo Rodriguez-fraile

In the realm of digital art, curation is indeed crucial, a sentiment we wholeheartedly agree with. The true value lies not in the volume of work but in the meticulous selection of pieces.

However, despite this notable insight, it's still challenging to discover great works easily, as the journey of discovery remains fragmented and often overwhelming for newcomers and collectors alike. We may have a solution!

Sale Spotlight

“Terrains by ThankYouX sells out 1/1/100 unique artworks for 4.5 BTC (~$186,500 USD) total on Magic Eden, sees whopping 49 secondary sales for 2.89 BTC, floor: 0.0519 BTC.”

Roger Dickerman

This collection is all about Bitcoin Ordinals, the equivalent of NFTs on Bitcoin, and we will dive deeper into this topic over the next couple of issues.

Artist to Watch

Loren Bednar, a digital artist since 2006, specializes in dynamic, colorful generative art. Starting with LOGO in 1993, he has created games, apps, and art using Flash, Unity, JavaScript, and WebGL.

His work has been showcased globally, including at Lume Studios and Museum Angewandte Kunst Frankfurt, and features pixel transforming projects on Art Blocks with phase and Divergence.

Collectors to Watch

This week we are once again presenting three collectors who we think have very special collections:

• Patricia Klein

• Almar

• Jordan Lyall

Closing Remarks

The art of curation proves to be more crucial than ever. It's not just about amassing a large collection but about carefully selecting works that truly stand out in quality and creativity.
This underlines our commitment to bringing you not just more, but also serves as a reminder that the real essence lies in the ability to convey quality and meaning.

👋 Hello, we are Julian and Marcel, and welcome to our weekly edition of The Curious Collector. Each week we humbly curate what’s happening in the digital art realm. ✨

It is a subscriber-only newsletter, delivered every Sunday, highlighting mainly digital and sometimes physical art news.

Subscribe now

Welcome to this week's issue, where we explore the Sigg Art Foundation's role in blending digital with traditional art. We're excited about two upcoming IRL exhibitions in Berlin at Office Impart and EXPANDED.ART.

Also, don't miss the captivating highlights from Yoshi Sodeoka, Ralgo, and the intriguing works of artists Kevin Abosch and Linda Dounia. We hope you enjoy these insightful glimpses.

News Digest

Sigg Art Foundation: Based on this week's piece about the Foundation, it's evident that they are instrumental in contributing to the trajectory of digital art.

By blending traditional art forms with digital technologies, it creates a unique platform for artists like Cory Arcangel, who merges digital technology with pop culture; Katja Novitskova, who transforms digital imagery into physical installations; and Pipilotti Rist, known for her immersive multimedia experiences.

Artistic Games: Mitchell F. Chan highlights the artistic value of art games, discussing their ability to reflect and critique real-world phenomena such as platform capitalism and the crisis of agency.

He explains that these games, by offering a limited set of choices leading to predetermined outcomes, mirror the often illusory and constrained nature of real-life choices within larger systems.

This characteristic of digital art games serves as a powerful artistic tool, offering digital artists the opportunity to use their medium not only for aesthetic creation but also as a means for societal commentary.

Upcoming

IRL @ Berlin

• Office Impart: “Close Reading” featuring Ana Maria Caballero, Sara Ludy, and Jonas Lund, running from january 25th (opening event 6-9pm) and until february 9th

• EXPANDED.ART: Presents “16:9” the first solo exhibition by Danilo Xhema, located at the Showroom on Friedrichstraße 67, running from 16th until 26th january 2024

Digital

• “The Flood” by Yoshi Sodeoka, available January 18 on Verse

• “Wild Wave Studies” by Ralgo, available January 15 on Verse

Digital Highlight

Ella a talented artist who mainly publishes her work on fxhash has created these 100k particles that repel each other.

We recommend viewing it here in full resolution.

Notable Insight

“Favorable crypto environment will drive capital to digital art. Scarce collections like Fidenza and Squiggles have thin floors and might rally as collectors flock to grails.”

Tim Salikhov (Grail Capital)

Despite a challenging past year, the Ethereum-based digital art market showed a rebound in late 2023, reaching a $5 billion valuation, as reported by Grail Capital. This recovery, marked by significant institutional investment and a shift towards high-quality, culturally significant artworks, indicates a bullish outlook for the digital art ecosystem in 2024.

Additionally, Solana and Bitcoin’s Ordinals have attracted a diverse range of new collectors, further bolstering this view.

Sale Spotlight

Kevin Abosch is an Irish conceptual artist known for exploring identity and value through various mediums, including machine learning and blockchain technology.

His work "Modifying an old machine" is a series of 150 AI-generated artworks, each symbolizing a moment in his life between 1989 and 2000, created using AI models trained on his personal photographic data of various objects, reflecting a dialogue between past and future through five distinct themes.

Artist to Watch

Linda Dounia is an artist and designer who investigates the philosophical implications of technocapitalism and its role in furthering systems of inequity.
She also writes about and curates art exploring these ideas.

Check out her interview

Collectors to Watch

• Figure31

• Boona

• motzko

Old but Gold

Tyler Hobbs explains how code becomes art.

Closing Remarks

Thank you for joining us in this edition. As we've seen, despite recent challenges, there's a promising rise in the digital art market, with a resurgence in value and interest. Keep an eye on how this trend shapes the future of art in our upcoming issues.

👋 Hello, we are Julian and Marcel, and welcome to our weekly edition of The Curious Collector. Each week we humbly curate what’s happening in the digital art realm. ✨

It is a subscriber-only newsletter, delivered every Sunday, highlighting mainly digital and sometimes physical art news.

Subscribe now

In our first 2024 edition, we're diving into Japan's influence on digital art and exploring the latest insights in immersive art. Along the way, we'll uncover upcoming exhibitions and shine a light on digital artists who are pushing creative boundaries.

News Digest

Digital Art & Japan: Exploring the country's pivotal role from 1950s pioneers like Hiroshi Kawano to contemporary figures like Daito Manabe. The article highlights continuous innovation in the field, emphasizing influential events like Expo '70 and the evolving landscape of NFTs and generative art. Such a great read!

Shape of the Market: 2023 was a landmark year for digital art, as it began blending with the traditional art world, highlighted by groundbreaking acquisitions from esteemed institutions like the Centre Pompidou, MoMA and LACMA. Artists like Jill Magid and Shezad Dawood harnessed NFTs to craft interactive and participatory pieces. Isn't it fascinating to witness such a dynamic evolution in the art world?

Upcoming

• Cytographia by Golan Levin: Artblocks, January 10, 7 - 8pm CET.

• Linea by Stuart Bachelor: Verse, January 10, 7pm CET.

• Glitch the Art of Interference: IRL exhibition on view in Munich until March 17.

Digital Highlight

Argentinian artist Lucas Aguirre merges physical art with digital technology. He scans his paintings into a 3D digital format and reworks them in virtual reality, then brings them back to the physical world for further analog development. This process creates a synergy between traditional and new media. Aguirre views digital tools as a way to transform everyday elements into unique visions, seeing the virtual realm as a space of unlimited potential.

Notable Insight

“I believe immersive art is a gateway into the art world... [it] complements traditional galleries, sparking enthusiasm for the art movement.”

Ryan “Woody” Atwood (CD of Frameless)

Have we reached peak immersive art?

The article discusses the rise of immersive art experiences, like London's Outernet and Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirrors, questioning whether this trend represents peak immersive art or a shift towards making art more accessible. It explores the debate on immersive art's value, contrasting its popularity and integration of various art forms with criticisms of being a populist fad, while considering the financial and social implications of these increasingly popular exhibitions.

Sale Spotlight

OELHAN is a French digital artist, motion designer and VJ. His works intend to share emotions. He is interested in the "in-between" such as, between warm and cold, sadness and happiness, joy and fear, weird and ordinary. His dark artistic style of both illustration and animation calls inspiration from visual motifs of psychedelia, primarily in depictions of plants and humans.

Artist to Watch

Etiene Crauss, a Brazilian artist, creates digital art by combining emotional narratives with advanced techniques. His process includes reference photography, digital compositing, digital drawing and depth enhancement. Crauss' work, which seamlessly transitions from digital to physical forms, showcases his technical skill and artistic vision.

Collectors to Watch

• mchx

• mitchell

• jess

Closing Remarks

As we sign off on this edition, we hope it's sparked your interest in the diverse realms we've explored, from Japan's role in digital art to the immersive art debate, and introduced you to artists who are shaping the landscape.

Don't forget to check out the exhibitions we've highlighted.

👋 As we approach the end of the year, we extend our heartfelt thanks to each one of you for joining us on this fascinating journey. Born from a deep-rooted love for digital art, The Curious Collector has been a work of passion.

We've curated over 500 articles, exhibitions, and artworks, selecting those we find most relevant to offer you unique insights and inspirations from the digital art world.

Subscribe now

In this special issue, we spotlight not only the year's most remarkable artworks but also share three predictions that we believe will shape the digital art realm in 2024.

Your support and enthusiasm make this journey all the more rewarding. Thank you for being an integral part of The Curious Collector.

Artistic Highlights

1. Dmitri Cherniak’s Ringers #879

“The Goose” sold for $6.2 million.

2. William Mapan’s “Sketchbook A”

The collection consists of 64 limited editions and resulted in a total auction value of $650,000.

3. Tyler Hobbs’ Fidenza #545

Sold for 625 ETH ($1.17M USD).

4. Refik Anadol’s Unsupervised — Machine Hallucinations

It was recently added to the MoMA collection.

5. Ania Catherine and Dejha Ti aka Operator released Human Unreadable

6. Roope Rainisto’s Life In West America

Notable Insight

As we revisit our notable insight from earlier this year, its relevance continues to resonate: the landscape of digital art is in a state of dynamic flux. Our current emphasis on social media prowess represents just one phase of an evolving journey.

As we delve deeper into exploring and developing digital art forms and techniques, we anticipate the emergence of diverse talents. This evolution will be characterized not only by social media visibility but, more importantly, by meaningful and innovative contributions to the medium.

2024 Digital Art Trends

#1 Apple Vision Pro: Our “iPhone Moment“

We welcome a groundbreaking development with the launch of Apple Vision Pro. This is more than just a new product; it's a moment comparable to the iPhone's debut, poised to redefine how we view and interact with digital art.

Initially impressive, its true promise lies in potential future enhancements. Envision a canvas that continually evolves in size, clarity, and immersive interaction, growing alongside the artists, collectors, and curators who utilize it.

#2 Curating the Secondary Market

As the past years have witnessed a boom in the digital art primary market, they have also highlighted a challenge: a fragmented landscape in the secondary market that is hard to navigate for newcomers.

Many platforms and blockchains present a labyrinth for artists and collectors alike. As the community seeks a coherent path through this complexity, the importance of a personalised, user-friendly curation approach becomes evident. Btw, we are working on a solution to address this challenge, aiming to make it easier for everyone. ❤️‍🔥

#3 Personalised AI Models & Unique Visions

The perception of AI-generated art is on the brink of a significant shift. Gone are the days when AI art was synonymous with generic image generators used by the masses. In the forefront of this revolution are artists who are embracing the power of AI in a deeply personal way.

By training their own large language models (a.k.a AI) with unique inputs, these artists are crafting art that is as distinct and individual as their traditional works. This evolution blurs the line between technology and artistry, heralding a future where AI becomes a bespoke tool in the artist's palette.

Closing Remarks

Capping off this year, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude to you, our cherished readers. ❤️

In 2024, anticipate a richer variety of content and fresh formats that will highlight the talents of artists, collectors, and curators. We're also planning local events to connect our community in person. Thank you for your support as we continue to celebrate and explore the dynamic world of digital art.

Happy New Year!

👋 Hello, we are Julian and Marcel, and welcome to our weekly edition of The Curious Collector. Each week we humbly curate what’s happening in the digital art realm. ✨

It is a subscriber-only newsletter, delivered every Sunday, highlighting mainly digital and sometimes physical art news.

Subscribe now

Dive into our latest issue before the Christmas break, featuring Refik Anadol's AI-driven work recognized among ARTnews' top 25, and Fabio Giampietro's innovative VR and oil painting works.

Discover how AI is reshaping contemporary art with insights from Laurie Simmons, Mario Klingemann, and Casey Reas, and meet the emerging artists who are shaping the evolving landscape of art and technology.

News Digest

25 defining artworks of 2023 have been selected by ARTnews. Its amazing to have a digital artwork among the list. Refik Anadol’s “Unsupervised” has been chosen for its innovative use of AI to reimagine MoMA’s collection (a work we've extensively covered in recent issues).

Fabio Giampietro's art, blending traditional oil painting with virtual reality (VR), represents a paradigm shift in artistic expression, challenging traditional frameworks and encouraging immersive, interactive experiences. His work invites audiences to engage with art in a more dynamic and personal way. This article explores his artistic journey.

Laurie Simmons, Mario Klingemann, and Casey Reas discuss here how AI is transforming their art practices. Simmons highlights AI's intuitive grasp of her subconscious, Klingemann views it as a blend of technology and philosophy, and Reas approaches it as a modern form of collage.

Their insights collectively illustrate the diverse and profound impact of AI on contemporary art.

Digital Highlight

About Nobody Here

“Video abstraction built from automatic gestural brushstrokes, distortion map, masked feedback effects, moments alone, ripe figs, "unplugged" afternoon, recognizing it has been awhile now and I forgot to do anything.”

Andrew Benson aka pixlpa is a Los Angeles based visual artist working between interactive graphics, animation, and experimental processes.

Notable Insight

“My advice is don’t become an art ‘investor’. Instead, collect what you love and what you believe will be culturally important in 20 years.

Curate it, share it with others, and have fun in the process”

DCinvestor

Echoing the advice, collecting art that resonates on a personal level and holds the potential to be culturally significant in the long term encourages a more thoughtful and fulfilling approach to collecting.

It emphasizes the importance of passion and personal connection in digital art collection, rather than focusing solely on potential financial gain.

Sale Spotlight

About Tetra

Tetra is an exploration of the transformative potential of a basic digital element, the pixel, reflecting the artist's personal journey through emotions and experiences. The work captures the duality of connection and isolation, evoking the impermanence of life and the intricate beauty of constantly evolving identities.

Daniel Aguilar’s work is characterized by abstract compositions that blend structure with unpredictability, using algorithms and generative processes to forge new associations and meanings.

Artist to Watch

aurèce vettier, an art project by Paul Mouginot, employs an algorithmically generated alias to represent a collaborative, hybrid approach, blending the 'real' and 'data' spaces.

The project explores new forms through AI and mathematical processing, creating tangible objects and considering machine-generated elements as raw material for artistic expression, with poetry as its practice's backbone.

Recently, aurèce vettier has been selected to be part of The Paris AI Collection with Bright Moments. Earlier this year, he was interviewed, providing more insights into his work.

Collectors to Watch

• Studio137

• dustmrtn.xyz

• kaito

Closing Remarks

As we close this issue, let's embrace the wisdom from our notable insight: the true value of art lies not in its investment potential, but in its personal and cultural resonance.

As you continue to explore the world of digital art, remember to cherish the works that speak to you and hold promise for the future. Stay curious!

👋 Hello, we are Julian and Marcel, and welcome to our weekly edition of The Curious Collector. Each week we humbly curate what’s happening in the digital art realm. ✨

It is a subscriber-only newsletter, delivered every Sunday, highlighting mainly digital and sometimes physical art news.

Subscribe now

Welcome to The Curious Collector! Each edition reflects our passion for making the digital art market more accessible.

We need your insights to delve deeper. 🙏 Please take a moment to answer the quick poll below – your input is invaluable. Continue reading afterward! ❤️‍🔥

News Digest

Miami's digital art scene focuses more on sustainable and considered initiatives. Institutions like the Pérez Art Museum Miami have developed new media arts departments, and artists are pivoting towards hybrid works that combine digital and physical elements.

In "Gen C," Michael Bouhanna, VP and head of digital art and NFTs at Sotheby's, discusses the rise of digital art and the increasing interest among collectors.

Danielle King discusses her innovative use of AI in art, exploring themes of alternate histories, female empowerment, and the blurred lines between artistic expression and manipulation.

Upcoming

December 18, 2023
Tome of Aurums: The Abstractia Arcanum by Kaeli VanFossen

Jan 03, 2024
Immaterial by Bjørn Staal

Digital Highlight

"Blind Spots" by Shaderism is a series of abstract, intimate portraits that capture the essence of human consciousness and personality through a glass sculpture, exploring the theme of how we perceive each other.

These portraits, inspired by the “Iittala - Kaleidoscope” exhibition, employ advanced generative art techniques to create unique characters visible from every angle, inviting viewers to contemplate the complexities of their perceptions of others.

Notable Insight

"The utility is the friends you collect along the way."

ICON

During the height of the NFT and digital collectible era, discussions often revolved around their utility, particularly in the digital art sector. The commonly heard response to queries about their value was "the art itself is the utility."

However, it might be that the intrinsic worth of this experience lies not just in the art, but in the human connections and relationships that we forge along the way.

Sale Spotlight

In 2021, Osinachi gained recognition for selling $75,000 in NFTs in 10 days and became the first African digital artist featured in an auction by 1-54 and Christie's. His art, celebrated for addressing themes like gender and race, was showcased in his debut solo show and in a collaborative project with the Mohamed Amin Foundation.

Artist to Watch

Kior is a South Korean illustrator who began her career in creative fields like illustration and graphic design in 2009. She started creating digital art in early 2022, known for visually interpreting the narratives of the human mind and finding joy and relief in her artistic expression since childhood.

Collectors to Watch

“What do I do with digital art?“

In this new section, we present how other collectors answer this question: by showcasing their collections in their collector profiles, which are inspiring, accessible, and free of charge.

• Curated shows the collection of Todd Goldberg and Andrew Jiang.

• DCinvestor is a collector of digital art, investor and advisor.

• Kylo Dzi is a digital artist & photographer.

Tech & Texture

The Ledger library has experienced a security breach, extending beyond its own platform to affect various blockchain and NFT applications with Ledger integrations. This has raised significant concerns within the community, prompting calls for increased caution and urgent updates on safety measures.

Closing Remarks

As we conclude this issue, we thank you for joining us on this journey of discovery and invite you to continue exploring these new horizons with us. Remember, your insights and participation shape the future of this vibrant community. 🙏

👋 Hello, we are Julian and Marcel, and welcome to our weekly edition of The Curious Collector. Each week we humbly curate what’s happening in the digital art realm. ✨

It is a subscriber-only newsletter, delivered every Sunday, highlighting mainly digital and sometimes physical art news.

Subscribe now

Welcome to our latest edition, where we pay tribute to Vera Molnár, a pioneer of computer and generative art.

Explore with us the evolving realm of digital art, featuring highlights from innovative artists and great works that continue to shape the art landscape.

Vera Molnár Tribute

Vera Molnár, born in 1924 in Budapest, Hungary, and a pivotal figure in the Paris art scene, passed away at the age of 99. Her death was announced on Thursday by Paris's Centre Pompidou.

A pioneer in computer and generative art, Molnár's influential career spanned decades, beginning in the 1960s with her innovative use of algorithms and plotters. She significantly impacted digital and generative art, culminating in her latest project of creating NFTs for Sotheby's in 2023, which brought in $1.2 million.

Her work at the Sorbonne and her involvement in the Groupe de Recherche d’Art Visuel are landmark contributions to modernist abstraction and the digital art movement. Molnár, a female icon in a male-dominated field, not only influenced generations of artists but also paved the way for women in digital art.

Chosen Insight

“In spite of their advantages, computers, no more than other simpler tools, do not guarantee that a work of art of good quality will result, for it is an artist’s skill that is the decisive factor.”

Vera Molnár

News Digest

AGH: A digital art collective by Kim Asendorf, Andreas Gysin, and Leander Herzog, launched with AGH 1 on December 7th in Berlin, showcasing abstract, technology-driven art.

On December 13th, they will each unveil a new work, continuing their exploration of innovative digital expression and challenging traditional art paradigms.

alignDRAW: Elman Mansimov's alignDRAW, the first text-to-image model from 2015, generated 2,709 images from 36 text prompts, a significant development in digital art. These unique images, classified as “Paper” or “Process” prompts, are being released as fully on-chain NFTs and prints, with auctions scheduled between December 12th and 14th through Fellowship.

Izanami Islands: A series by Richard Nadler draws inspiration from the Japanese creation myth of Izanami and Izanagi, who formed the Japanese islands.

These AI-crafted artworks, each representing a unique “island” in a digital landscape, will be featured in a ranked auction with a rebate on Dec 14, where the top 128 bids will receive the artwork, and all winning bidders will only pay the amount of the lowest winning bid.

Digital Highlight

Noper's objective is to explore the tangible and intangible facets of life through technology. Drawing inspiration from global journeys and life experiences, Noper infuses his creations with unique depths and perspectives.

By utilizing symbolism and technology as a canvas for storytelling, Noper invites us to observe contemporary life through an analog lens of childhood wonder and nostalgia.

Sale Spotlight

Spanish artist Harto is a multidisciplinary designer and artist who has moved from art installations and street exhibitions to digital creations and NFTs, gaining international recognition with exhibitions in New York, Miami and Hong Kong.

"The Golden Ratio" was released as Bitcoin ordinal and is one of the few generative collections on the Bitcoin blockchain.

Artist to Watch

DeltaSauce, an artist from Dallas, Texas, specializes in AI art that uniquely blends the essence of traditional illustrations and paintings. Beginning his artistic journey in 2021, he has developed a distinctive style that utilizes AI to create captivating cinematic landscapes and nostalgic scenes.

His latest release „Views“ sold out in under 2 minutes on Braindrops (500 pieces for 0.1 eth)

Closing Remarks

We honor Vera Molnár, a visionary who seamlessly blended art with technology, deeply grateful for the paths she paved. Her enduring legacy inspires continual innovation in digital art. Thank you for joining us in celebrating her remarkable contributions.

👋 Hello, we are Julian and Marcel, and welcome to our weekly edition of The Curious Collector. Each week we humbly curate what’s happening in the digital art realm. ✨

It is a subscriber-only newsletter, delivered every Sunday, highlighting mainly digital and sometimes physical art news.

Subscribe now

Today, we explore the latest in digital art, ranging from the transformative Miami Beach Art Basel to innovative digital artists like Lorna Mills, Mathias Isaksen, and Leander Herzog.

Dive into the collection of the passionate digital art collector Basileus, and discover the impact of fxhash 2.0's launch on the generative art movement.

News Digest

Art Basel Miami Beach: The Miami Beach Art Basel, which has transformed Miami into a major cultural destination over 20 years, typically occurs annually in early December. Ana María Caballero presents a curated list of key events and exhibitions, focusing on showcasing digital art.

Digital Innovation: The Observer highlights the transformation of mainstream art through blockchain technology, featuring key figures such as Erick Calderon, Dmitri Cherniak, and Vera Molnár, who are driving this change with their pioneering work in generative art, NFTs, and digital platforms.

Additionally, recognizing the list's short representation of women, Cozomo de’ Medici spotlights three notable women in the field: Nina Roehrs, Spumma, and Anne Spalter.

Collecting with Heart: Basileus, a passionate digital art collector, meticulously curates his collection, focusing on emotional resonance with each piece. He views this art form as a movement as significant as the Renaissance. His collection includes over 2300 works, emphasizing a blend of classical themes with modern perspectives.

Digital Highlight

Canadian artist Lorna Mills has been actively showcasing her artwork in solo and group exhibitions since the early 1990s, both in Canada and around the world. Her diverse practice spans various mediums, including Ilfochrome printing, painting, super 8 film, video, and online animated GIFs, often integrated into offline installations.

Notable recent exhibitions include "Dreamlands" at the Whitney Museum in New York, "Yellowwhirlaway" at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York, and "The Great Code" at TRANSFER Gallery in New York.

Upcoming exhibition: Dashing Blades on Verse.

Notable Insight

“The addition of a woman’s signature can devalue artwork to the extent that female artists are more likely to leave their work unsigned.”

Dr. Helen Gorrill

Unsigned by Operator & Anika Meier is a collection of 100 signatures from women and non-binary artists created to reverse the current negative value of the signatures through their transformation into artworks themselves.

Sale Spotlight

Mathias Isaksen: Oslo-based generative artist and creative coder with a DIY approach. Holds a master's in applied physics and math. His work explores balancing opposing qualities and finding unconventional ways to apply commonplace techniques and methods.

Artist to Watch

Leander Herzog is a Swiss visual artist who has been working with code to create generative and interactive abstract art on the web since 2006. He combines his expertise in web development and digital products with generative art, particularly exploring the potential of NFTs.

Herzog's artistic practice encompasses both visual maximalism using contemporary computer graphics and minimalist abstraction based on web technology standards.

Tech & Texture

fxhash 2.0: On December 1st, fxhash 2.0 launched on Ethereum, marking a significant event in the generative art movement by introducing a multi-chain model that includes both Tezos and Ethereum. It is celebrated with a series of curated releases from renowned artists and partner groups, promising to be a festive event.

Closing Remarks

As we reflect on this issue, let's also ponder the insights from the “Unsigned” collection, which emphasizes the ongoing challenges in the art world, such as gender representation.

The Observer's list, featuring only one woman, underscores the journey ahead in achieving greater inclusivity and recognition for all artists, regardless of gender.

👋 Hello, we are Julian and Marcel, and welcome to our weekly edition of The Curious Collector. Each week we humbly curate what’s happening in the digital art realm. ✨

It is a subscriber-only newsletter, delivered every Sunday, highlighting mainly digital and sometimes physical art news.

Subscribe now

Welcome! 🌞 Today we explore the intersection of art, fashion, and technology with Christie's and Gucci's unique digital auction, and immerse ourselves in the innovative digital art scene at London's HERE event.

Discover the captivating works of Eric De Giuli's generative art, the emotional depth of Olga Fradina's 'Naïve,' and the digital expressions of omentejovem, showcasing the diverse landscape of contemporary digital creativity.

News Digest

Parallel Universes: Christie's and Gucci have partnered for a digital auction featuring generative art from eight artists, blending fashion, art, and technology. The auction showcases pieces like digital animations and surrealistic art, with works priced from approx. $1,000 to $8,500 USD (0.5 to 4.0 ETH), reflecting Gucci's evolving influence in the art world and its blend of traditional and modern elements.

HERE: A new digital art event in London showcases pioneering artists and galleries focusing on digital art, including NFTs and AI-generated works. Organized by Verse and taking place on November 25th and 26th, 2023, the event offers an in-person experience of innovative digital works. It includes talks, live DJ sets, and free digital artwork for attendees, aiming to highlight the evolving landscape of digital art and its community.

Professional Athletes: Top athletes are increasingly engaging in the art market, particularly focusing on contemporary art. Figures like Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Love have become serious collectors, influencing trends and driving interest in the sector, with their collections often featuring major Black artists and helping to shape a new collector base in the art world.

Digital Highlight

Eric De Giuli's "Atlas" is a generative art collection that explores the emergent properties of nature through dynamic digital artworks. Inspired by his background in theoretical physics, De Giuli creates works that resemble dynamic "Powers of Ten" paintings, offering a visual journey from microscopic to cosmic scales.

The artworks consist of a mosaic of cells in which intricate patterns and colors reveal themselves as the viewer zooms in, showing the chaotic and vibrant interactions at different scales. De Giuli's works reflect on the relationship between human perception and the complex systems of nature, questioning our understanding of scale and our place in the cosmos.

Notable Insight

“Collectors, make displaying your collection a priority, be it at home or in the office. Lend pieces for exhibitions, contribute to institutions – let the art be seen However, presentation is key. Treat digital art with the same care as traditional art.

The right setup – frame, monitor, aspect ratio – matters immensely. Otherwise, you risk doing a disservice to the artist and their work.”

Pablo Rodriguez-fraile

Sale Spotlight

Olga Fradina is a Kyiv-based generative artist and interior designer known for abstract, biomorphic forms and exploring emotional states.

"Naïve" merges the simplicity of a child's view with the sophistication of generative art, inspired by Ukrainian primitivists like Maria Prymachenko, symbolizing a blend of emotional rawness and technical precision while also marking a personal artistic resurgence influenced by recent Ukrainian events.

Artist to Watch

Omentejovem is a Brazilian digital artist renowned for his abstract, intuitive style and his exploration of personal experiences and emotions through the innovative use of color in his artworks.

Represented by AOTM

Tech & Texture

Foundation Ventures: Foundation is partnering with Highlight to enter the Web3 generative art space, aiming to transform the digital art ecosystem by providing artists and curators with enhanced creative control and flexibility.

This collaboration, debuting in early December, focuses on empowering artists with tools for onchain generative minting and dynamic data inputs, and offers curators an open-access platform, fundamentally shifting the curation process.

Closing Remarks

As we conclude this edition, we've seen how art beautifully merges with fashion, technology, and the emerging trend of athletes becoming collectors, influencing a new generation in the art world.

Remembering Pablo Rodriguez-fraile's advice on valuing and presenting digital art, let’s continue to thoughtfully display and appreciate all art forms.