Collecting Crypto Art and NFTs: Collectors Spotlight

Down in the web3 rabbit hole things move faster than in the real world. During my humble three years in the scene I've witnessed more projects and legendary collections built than over a decade in the ‘traditional’ art market. What makes it so different? To better answer this question I’ve spoken to some of the old-timers (by the market measurements) who have been collecting regardless of the market cycle, with an interest in the long-term success of the artists they support.

Untitled by William Mapan, minted Mar 4, 2021.

I’ve asked for a group collectors to share some of their favourite works, and answer questions that can help guide aspiring collectors when tip-toeing (or cannonballing) into the world of crypto art. This survey may also serve as an insight for artists to better understand the thought-process of devoted patrons when it comes to acquiring new work.

Fanny Lakoubay @Flakoubay

A crypto art collector, advisor and activist since 2018.

Highlights from the collection:

1. Tokenized Cloud Sphere One (YYZ to MCO) by  Martin Lukas Ostachowski @MLOdotArt
This is a 2018 unenhanced, computer-aided photo collage, part of the Tokenized Cloud Sphere installation of 12 cloud spheres, which were created from photo series taken on passenger flights across North America. The photos were stitched into panoramas using software and lightly retouched on the edges to allow smooth connections into a sphere.

2. Attempt 0 by Ania Catherine @aniacatherine and Dejha Ti @dejhati
Attempts is the first lot from Ania Catherine and Dejha Ti’s Privacy Collection. Attempt 0 is one of eleven unique works the series of choreographic attempts to establish online privacy (real or imagined). In this work, the body inhabits and hides inside a digital shell in the form of a translucent glass avatar, speaking to the pseudonymous nature of web3—pfps, usernames, wallet addresses—where one can ironically be known for being unknown.

3. Here and Elsewhere by Brendan Dawes @brendandawes with music by Sion Trefor @SionTrefor
“I like people who dream or talk to themselves interminably; I like them, for they are double. They are here and elsewhere.”
― Albert Camus.

When things are forbidden it takes dreamers to venture into the unknown and challenge perceived norms. Inspired by an Albert Camus quote, dreams and deliberate actions give rise to new forms, structures and possibilities where there was previously darkness.

4. Atom 1259 (89 seconds Atomized collection) by Eve Sussman  
89 seconds Atomized shatters the final artist's proof of Eve Sussman's acclaimed video 89 seconds at Alcazár into 2,304 unique blocks, to create a new artwork on the blockchain. An experiment in ownership and collective interaction, the piece can be reassembled and screened at will by the community of collectors.

What excites you when selecting artists’ work, how do they make their way into your collection?

The story of the artist, the concepts behind the works, and the level of innovation! I like to know the story behind the artists I collect (connect w them whenever possible), I am not looking at a particular genre or aesthetic. Conceptually innovative works are for me important to highlight!

How do you discover new work?

Artist residencies, curated shows and platforms (small ones like verse.works or vca), twitter - rarely.

Is there any advice you'd give to someone interested in collecting art on the Blockchain?

DYOR and listen to the artists.

Georg Bak

I am very passionate about digital art and made my passion into my profession. Besides advising clients I am also a collector myself. I am collecting vintage digital art from the 1960s as well as NFTs. I also use my LinkedIn account since several years to share interesting news and facts about digital art, NFTs and the metaverse to help people to get more familiar with the topics.

Georg Bak keeps his collection private, so here is a photo with Aleksandra Art (myself) at Boreta AV at Art Basel Miami 2022.

How do you go about collecting artists’ work?

Many artworks I choose to collect have a historical relevance. I also collect art from befriended artists. When I look at digital art, I am interested in technical or visual innovation as well as complexity. What excites me most are artworks which are entering the canon of digital art history because they are the first of its kind. 

How do you discover new work?

Quite often I get recommendations by artists, curators or collectors. Sometimes I am also checking some accounts of other collectors.

Is there any advice you'd give to someone interested in collecting art on the Blockchain?

Collecting is a very personal thing; you look at someones collection and you know who that person is. When I advise collectors they are mostly interested in new trends or NFTs as an investment. 

Maria @marygeorgie1

I have a background in traditional Finance and fell down the genart rabbit hole about a year ago. While I have always been an art lover, the (to me) new concept of genart blew my away! I love collecting, researching about artists and new developments in the space ever since!

Highlights from the collection:

1. horizon(te)s #396 by Iskra Velitchkova @pointline_ and Zach Lieberman @zachlieberman
For this collaboration, the artists focused on horizons as an organizing principle. What are the edges and borders of our vision and what do we see there?

2. Aspergo #33 by dmarchi @dmarchi___
A practice on texturing abstract paintings. Up to three techniques are applied by the painter to compose each image.

3. Anticyclone #479 by William Mapan @williamapan
High pressure, rotation, air flow… The "Anticyclone" series is an artistic exploration and interpretation of those concepts. The rendering borrows its aesthetics from traditional and organic media like paper and crayons, to lend an analog/archival look. "Can a computer draw like a human?" The question is asked and challenged once more through "Anticyclone".

What made you select these three works to highlight?

Zach Lieberman: I love Zach Liebermans works and I knew I needed to get a piece from his first longform project. I think he has a unique way in showing the interplay of colors and transitions.

Dmarchi: Dmarchi has a few great very painterly looking projects on fxhash with brush strokes that look like real paintings. Aspergo has a very impressionist aesthetics to me. I loved his works from the beginning and am excited to see what comes next.

William Mapan: Anticyclone is probably my favorite longform project of all. I love how William Mapan creates these incredible different textures and colors!

Is there anything particular you look for when picking a new addition to your collection?

It is probably more a feeling than a theme I am looking for in a collection or a piece. I am also really interested in the concept, art historical references and the process behind the work, which is why I love it when there is some more information/interview or similar provided by the artist.

How do you discover new work?

Mostly via Twitter and collections from people I am following. I recently also detected the discovery tool from RCS, which seems promising. I also try to follow new drops on fxhash and also artblocks.

Is there any advice you'd give to someone interested in collecting art on the Blockchain?

Starting to collect can be pretty overwhelming as there are so many platforms and art already available. I therefore think that Tezos is a great way to start collecting, as costs are relatively low compared to e.g. ETH and collecting can be a bit more playful with less pressure in the beginning. If you are interested and spend some time in the space, follow certain people and platforms you will get a feeling for the space pretty quickly.

ballislife @delta_alpha_ohm

Collectooor, rabbit hole researcher.

Highlights from the collection:

1. Positive tension by FEELS @FEELSxart

2. Organized Glitch .::....: by Itzel Yard @ix_shells

3. 🐥🪱 - A bird as if a worm as a bird as a worm | for Bird and Worm Society by Iskra Velitchkova @pointline_

4. Untitled (Genesis) by William Mapan @williamapan

I search for value via research and base it off of intuition, aesthetics, as well as cultural and historical importance

How do you discover new work?

Twitter, frens, Discord and word of mouth.

Premala @premalamatthen

Art Market Advisor with a Finance background, turned Web3 Investor/ Collector

Highlights from the collection:

1. Bitchcoin #02.148 by Sarah Meyohas @SarahMeyohas
Predating the launch of Ethereum by five months, in February 2015 conceptual artist Sarah Meyohas released the first tokenization of art on the blockchain: Bitchcoin.

2. Doodle #6849 by @doodles
A collection of 10,000 NFTs (non-fungible tokens) that are made up of hundreds of exciting visual traits designed by Burnt Toast.

3. Chromie Squiggle #874 by Snowfro @ArtOnBlockchain
Simple and easily identifiable, each squiggle embodies the soul of the Art Blocks platform. Consider each as a personal signature by Snowfro as an artist, developer, and tinkerer. 

4. Anticyclone #279 by William Mapan @williamapan
High pressure, rotation, air flow… The "Anticyclone" series is an artistic exploration and interpretation of those concepts. The rendering borrows its aesthetics from traditional and organic media like paper and crayons, to lend an analog/archival look. "Can a computer draw like a human?" The question is asked and challenged once more through "Anticyclone".

5. CloneX #6969 by @RTFKT and Takashi Murakami @takashipom
RTFKT, together with Takashi Murakami, brought his iconic designs to the 20,000 NFTs. From Eyes, Mouths, Helmets to Clothes, these avatars will have a special Murakami Drip property defined on the blockchain.

6. First NFT #9669 by 0xDEAFBEEF @_deafbeef
First satirical on-chain generative text NFT about NFT firsts. Don't sleep on this historic collection.

7. Contractions #219 by Loie Hollowell
Loie Hollowell’s first-ever NFT project, titled Contractions, comprises 280 unique, generative works that center on the artist’s embodied experiences with childbirth. Based on Hollowell’s Split Orb sculptural paintings, which she began creating following the birth of her second child, the Contractions NFTs feature two bifurcated orbs situated one on top of the other, with the top orb representing the artist’s brain and the lower orb signifying her pregnant belly and cervix…

What made you select these works to highlight?

All examples of historic blue-chip art and collectibles that I love and am honoured to possess.

How do go about adding new art to the collection?

I need to love the work, then it is about other value drivers such as historic significance, cultural significance, technological significance, etc > there are 100 factors, the last layer of analysis is investment value - I would like to say monetary value is irrelevant, but I do want the work I own to be relevant for the wider market as well. I could go on endlessly about this topic because I specialise in Collectibles as an Alternative Asset.

How do you discover new work?

Twitter, Instagram, Art fairs and events

Is there any advice you'd give to someone interested in collecting art on the Blockchain?

Check the integrity of the contract, validity of IP, security of storage - lastly, get a hardware wallet

Colborn @co1born

Presently, I find myself thinking about the global monocultural and assorted means to effectuate broad structural and systemic change. I am broadly and gravely concerned for our collective future and believe there is a massive need for new leaders and institutions to emerge which incubate alternative ideologies. Fighting my own existential dread, I try to leave as much of myself onchain as possible. 

1. The Great American Supernova (still from gif) by @ROBNESSOFFICIAL

2. Death of an AI by Leo Isikdogan @leoisikdogan

3. THIS ISN'T EVEN ART by Max Osiris @maxosirisart

4. Andrew Jackson on Acid (still from gif) by @Zebbler

5. r/EarthPorn/Night-River by zaza 

6. Self-reflection by Mikedotalmond @mikedotalmond

7. Could words be the art by Brandon Walsh @NFTWannabe

What excites you in the works shared? How did they make their way into your collection?

I find there is a collective exasperation in the game we have constructed for ourselves.  i am witness to (and perhaps facilitating) a tremendous escapism from this reality.  i am equally witness to some brilliant and passionate individuals who push against this tide.  i think these works are precursors or warning signals to what will inevitably be a colossal collapse of society. our society is one of spectacle, in which authentic social life has been replaced by its representation, interactions dictated strictly by the commodities we are perceived to hold.  this curation is more reflective of my current mood than of the collection.  im not sure these works excite me, but i purchased them because i thought they were prescient, and it was nice to know other people were experiencing and reflecting similar feelings.

Is there anything particular you look for in a work? How do you make your decisions to collect? 

Yes, but to describe it would really be futile because it is a constantly shifting ever evolving feeling that revolves around my growth as an individual. It's almost like I don't know what I'm looking for until I find it.  experientially i would describe it as hearing a song from your past, one you haven't heard in a while, and being immediately transported back to that moment in time, except the experience is in reverse. I look for works that transport me to the edge of the future or trigger and allow me to extrapolate on an ontology that posits how we got there. Because when I understand how we got there, I can reorient my present to reflect this new information and I feel myself growing. 

How do you discover new work? 

I spend a lot of time in the MOCA Community Collection, which is a collection of 9000 artworks contributed by our 3600+ users.  i enjoy it because it removes artworks from a market context, is randomized every 24 hours, and is aggregated based on the preference of other collectors. This is where I go when i'm looking for something that catches my eye for raw discovery.  

Is there any advice you'd give to someone interested in collecting art on the Blockchain?

Sure I have plenty of advice, feel free to contact me to discuss. The best advice I ever heard was from artnome and paraphrased that is "buy art you love, from artists you want to support, at prices you can afford, and you'll never be disappointed" or something like that.

Debussy @Debussy100

I love collecting beautiful works of art

hello admin dm me by XCOPY

Collection: JEB9

What can we find in your collection?

Some of these are NFT artists that have become "bluechip" and some are up and coming artists that I think have a bright future in the space. I found them by interacting with them and looking to see if they're in the NFT space for the long-term and not to just make a quick penny.

How do you discover new work? 

Twitter

Is there any advice you'd give to someone interested in collecting art on the Blockchain?

My advice would be to take your time and talk to the artist. Try to find an artist that is doing something different and that is here to help grow the NFT space. Also, don't fall into the twitter hype machine when you see bigger names pumping an artist. Finally, always listen to your gut.

5 London Art Exhibitions for Fall/Winter 2019 - 2020 (and yes, they involve digital art!)

Feeling the winter blues approaching?

Let this list of art events guide you

Recently several of my friends approached me, asking for art show recommendations. While sending over links and suggestions, I realised that many of these are not so easy to find if you’re not in the industry or are coming outside of London. Whether it is to escape the winter blues, find inspiration, hide somewhere warm or maybe refresh your Instagram feed, London is currently hosting an excellent selection of exhibitions. I decided to compile the following list below so a wider audience can take advantage of it. Without further ado, here are some of the highlights you may want to explore.

*Warning: The bias is present. My selection is likely skewed towards new media art.

1. Olafur Eliasson at Tate Modern

Tate Modern brings a comprehensive selection of the famous Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson. Top show on every Instagrammers list.

Dates: Runs until 5 January 2020.

Pro Tip: (1) Bring an old T-shirt you no longer wear into Tate Modern for recycling, and you will get a 20% discount on an Olafur Eliasson exhibition T-shirt. (2) Tate Modern is also currently hosting a retrospective of Nam June Paik’s work, Korean artist and a pioneer of video art. It’s on my list to see, but if you have any space left to indulge more creativity after Eliasson’s show then can try visiting both exhibits while at the museum.

More Info

2. Somerset House: 24/7

Somerset House brings together a group show by some of the most renowned artists today working across a variety of media. Immersive, engaging and thought-provoking, the artworks serve as a reminder to take a break from our non-stop digital life. Personally, I fell in love with Pierre Huyghe’s video work, accompanied by house music. After the exhibition I definitely had a very good sleep.

Dates: Runs until 23 Feb 2020.

Pro Tip: (1) There is a special installation that you need to sign up in advance if you’re interested to participate. The piece is made by Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard and called the ‘Somnoproxy’. You can sign up on arrival by speaking to a member of the Visitor Experience team. (2) The show is a 2 minute walk away from The Store X (on the list below) in case you want to capture both exhibitions at once.

More Info

3. Antony Gormley at the RA

Antony Gormley is one of the leading British sculptors and on the list you should know if you live in London. What I love the most is how he manages to redevelop his practice over time while keeping a consistent style in his work. RA brings together highlights of his practice and provides an interactive maze for visitors to explore.

Dates: Runs until 3 December 2019. (Hurry!)

Pro Tip: (1) The tunnel is actually a human body sculpture, which you are walking through! (2) Don’t be scared of gravity, try taking an image like the one below!

More Info

4. Other Spaces by The Store X The Vinyl Factory

If you want a truly immersive experience , try visiting the free show at The Store X, 180 The Strand. The experience is presented in collaboration with the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris

Dates: Runs until 8 December 2019.

Pro Tip: The show is a 2 minute walk away from the 24/7 show (No2) in case you want to capture both at once.

More Info

5. Anselm Kiefer at White Cube Bermondsey

White Cube gallery presents Superstrings, Runes, The Norns, Gordian Knot, a solo show by Anselm Kiefer, one of the most famous living German artists. The art exhibition showcases a selection of his new artwork. The interior of the entrance hall was also redesigned specifically for the event.

Although White Cube is a private commercial gallery, its space can easily compete with some of the public museums. If you haven’t been, strongly recommend discovering it. the neighbourhood is also excellent for a dinner or a glass of wine. The show takes place at their Bermondsey location, which is a 10 minute walk from London Bridge/ The Shard. The show is free, just check opening hours.

Dates: Runs until 26 January 2020.

Pro Tip: Grab a glass of wine after the show at B Street Deli or check out the new Vinegar Yard on the way.

More Info

Enjoy the shows and let me know if you have any questions of tips!

AI Artists, What Are You Selling: An Image, A Neural Network Or A Story?

Mario Klingemann’s illustration, inspired by the Dung Beetle Learning series

The last couple of years have marked a turning point for AI art. Major auction houses, such as Sotheby's and Christie's introduced pieces made using machine learning. Creative AI platforms such as Playform.io allowed anyone remotely familiar with technology to upload datasets and generate images. Artists coming from traditional media began outsourcing their artwork production to those familiar with the tools to keep up with the rising demand of our digital culture. In this article, together with prominent digital artists and experts, we explore art market perceptions towards AI art. To properly understand where the initiatives are heading, I ask a question – what is it that creators of AI art are selling? This inquiry allows shedding light on some of the shortcomings that the market currently faces when it comes to an understanding of the subject. It also calls for a point of view that would consider the broader context of tech culture.

When it comes to art, there are currently two groups of practitioners exploring AI and its contributions to the creative industry. First is Computational Creativity, the field that concerns itself with theoretical and practical issues in the study of creativity. Primarily, the group explores whether computers can be creative on their own and how could this be achieved. The second movement is the Creative AI movement. The focus in Creative AI lies more towards the widespread applications of AI tools to produce cultural goods. Some examples of the Creative AI include generative art, AI-written symphonies and even poems. One particularly fun example is a science fiction film 'Sunspring', in which actors were hired to act out a script written by an AI bot (clip below).

In the wake of Google's AI Go victory, filmmaker Oscar Sharp turned to his technologist collaborator Ross Goodwin to build a machine that could write screenplays. They created "Jetson" and fueled him with hundreds of sci-fi TV and movie scripts.

For the movie, music and literature industries new technology is nothing new. The effect of AI content production on the fields is particularly interesting to consider. However, in this article, the focus is on the industry where the processes are not as clearly defined when it comes to using technology – the art market.

A machine learning system that is currently most commonly used among AI artists is the generative adversarial network (GAN). Ian Goodfellow and his colleagues developed GAN while he was working as a research scientist at Google. A simple explanation by Google describes GANs as generative models, which create new data that resemble your training data.

For example, GANs trained on human portraits can create images that look like photographs of human faces, even though the people depicted do not exist. A good example of GAN in practice is the work of Mike Tyka, an AI artist and technologist at Google. Mike’s project ‘Portraits of Imaginary People’ (below), featured at Ars Electronica Festival ’17, explored the latent space of human faces by training an artificial neural network to imagine and generate portraits of non-existent people. To do so, he fed GAN with thousands of photos of faces he collected from Flickr.

On October 2018, Ahmed Elgammal, Professor of Computer Vision and an AI artist, published an article titled 'With AI Art, Process Is More Important Than the Product'. Dr Elgammal argued that AI art is conceptual art, an art form that began in the 1960s, in which the idea represented is considered more important than the finished object. "It's about the creative process – one that involves an artist and a machine collaborating to explore new visual forms in revolutionary ways," he wrote.

The notion of the artist and the machine 'collaborating' humanizes the latter. The idea of humanizing technology is nothing new. We gave names to natural language processing devices such as Siri and Alexa. We create robots that look like humans. However, these products address the market from a consumer standpoint. By humanizing the machine an artist works with, we take away the credit for the artists' work.

Mimesis, "imitation" in Greek, refers to nature and human behaviour mimicked in the arts. Art imitates life, so to say. In almost all areas of our professional experience, we use technology to aid us in our work. However, we do not give salary to our machines. Neither we credit them in our reports. Similarly, how can we consider giving credit to the machine for an artwork?

GANs provide a new way for artists to experiment, but they also cause a stir of thought. "What is Art?" is a subject of discussion throughout centuries. With the rise of AI, we have a new question that asks "Who is the Artist?". A group of professionals in the field of new media art share a view that AI is simply a tool to create the artwork, like a paintbrush.

2018 Lumen Prize Gold Award winner: Mario Klingemann’s piece ‘The Butcher’s Son’. A neural network’s interpretation of the human form.

Mario Klingemann, a known artist and a winner of Lumen Prize, the award for art and technology, compares AI to the piano. "If you hear somebody playing the piano, would you ever ask if the piano is the artist? No. So same thing here: just because it's a complicated mechanism, it doesn't change the roads" he explains in an interview with Sotheby’s. Carla Rapoport, who runs the Lumen Prize for eight years now, agrees. "Cavemen used sticks and coloured mud - today's visual artists use algorithms, among other tools. A number of shortlisted artists this year, for example, incorporated AI tools into a wider work, either moving image or sculptural.

The work by Jake Elwes, CUSP, shortlisted this year, fits into this category. He used an AI tool to create his birds and then 'set' them into a filmed landscape" she shares. Both Jake Elwes and Mario Klingmann use AI as an element of their work, a tool. They do so by either creating installations to stream the generated images or by integrating GAN images as an element of a video piece.

However, the tool itself is not the creator, neither it is a work of art. What artists choose to create using that tool holds more substantial value. However, does this apply to any digital device? With companies such as Acute Art and Khora Contemporary, allowing any artist to become a VR artist, has the technical knowledge become irrelevant?

It is necessary to approach the digital field within the context of digital culture. When famous artists of the past centuries outsourced their work, it wasn't because they couldn't do it themselves. "It's not that people couldn't do it, it's just not worth their time… Henry Moore I'm sure knew all about working in bronze" shares Michael Takeo Magruder, an internationally acclaimed digital artist. In a non-digital medium, if an artist wants to use another artist's style, they would still have to create the artwork themselves.

When it comes to digital tools, and especially AI, however, the process is fluid. And since the practice is relatively new, the market lacks the understanding to provide constructive feedback. Established critics from the traditional medium evaluate the worth of a digital piece under traditional measures and context of the art world, if at all. There is a level of scepticism present due to the infant stage of the movement. (Since I wrote this, I witnessed Jonathan Jones, an art critic at the Guardian, referring to AI as "Bullshit" at a recent panel).

Michael continues, "For myself, I don't do the heavy lifting, but I know absolutely what is possible… I understand the medium, and I come from that scene. When all of these artists and academics want to talk about digital, it's like yeah but do you really understand it, the culture?."

Michael Takeo Magruder, detail of Imaginary Cities — Paris (11097701034), 2019. Algorithmically generated mono prints on 23ct gold-gilded board. Photo: David Steele © Michael Takeo Magruder.

The 'culture' that Michael is referring to is the tech culture, the gamers, coders, and tech enthusiasts. Some traditional art market professionals may perceive the tech culture as 'outsider' culture in the art world. Another similar outsider culture is often considered street art. Michael considers Banksy as one of the greatest contemporary artists. He notes that although street art has an ecosystem of its own, Banksy demonstrates a thorough understanding of art and pays tribune to notable traditional artists in his work.

Both the street art culture and digital culture bring something new to the art world. However, when it comes to digital art, we see a different phenomenon. Established traditional artists begin to outsource their work to VR or AI specialists. While doing so, the artist receives all the recognition, using his name as a brand. But what if this happened in street art, what if David Hockney all of a sudden started doing graffiti, would the market recognize him as a prominent street artist? I doubt it (but who knows, right?).

A week after Dr Elgammal described AI art as conceptual, the first AI artwork sold at a major auction. Obvious, the Paris-based collective that produced the work used 15000 portraits painted between the 14th and 20th century to feed the system. By taking the available data of Renaissance paintings, the artist collective used GAN to create a fictional character, referred to as Edmond de Belamy (pictured in the family tree below). The press loved the story of the sale, especially since the work fetched an incredible sum of over $400,000 at Christie's.

The collective indeed demonstrated the highest level of salesmanship and marketing. Some would call it  'state of the art'. The story, however, sparked a level of criticism when the audience learned that another artist, Robbie Barrat, made the algorithm they used in creating their work. "We are the people who decided to do this, who decided to print it on canvas, sign it as a mathematical formula, put it in a gold frame," defended their actions Obvious when asked about their lack of credit to Barrat. However, the level of inquiry had limits due to the lack of understanding about who borrowed what from whom.

Obvious’ first collection is a series of 11 ‘realistics’ portraits generated by GANs. They used it to create a fictional family titled the Belamy Family.

The chain of code would be a rabbit hole if one were to point out to try and establish who made a more significant contribution. Just consider the following: Since Ian Goodfellow's development of GANs, researchers have been using its open access for various adaptations. Namely, Facebook's Soumith Chintala partnered with Alex Radford, a researcher at Indico Data Solutions, to improve Goodfellow's GANs, so they work better with images. The collaboration was a component that further adapted the code for artistic practice.

After cooperating with Radford, Soumith shared the implementation on Github, an open-source for developers to share their work. Only after Soumith shared his work on Github did the code reach Robbie Barrat, who then made additional improvements by adding scrapers and pretrained models. Hence, the line is blurred when deciding between Barrat, Soumith, Radford or Goodfellow as the contributors to Obvious' piece. Therefore, all of the players, to a certain degree, can be considered to have contributed to Obvious' work. And yet, only one of them was called out.

In short, while we refer to AI  as a 'tool', we also can't deny that, with its complexity, it's a different kind of tool when compared to traditional material methods. There is value in the context within which the works are created and presented. Otherwise, the artist is most likely to be misunderstood. So what are the artists selling then? "Perhaps the term for AI art might be a 'generative story'?" suggests Carla. "But certainly not a neural network, as an oil painting wouldn't be identified by the brush or the chemicals chosen to create it." she adds.

Mike Tyka comments that "significance comes from the process, its implications and the connection to what else is happening in the AI field". He draws attention to the fact that knowledge about the AI field (the 'culture' that we discussed in the beginning) is a relevant factor when it comes to evaluating AI art.

Meanwhile, sceptics like Jonathan Jones from the traditional art world, argue that the AI works currently produced should be dismissed altogether since they lack aesthetic qualities. As an example, take a look at this conversation between Jason Bailey, founder of an art and tech publication about cutting-edge technology in art, and senior art critic and columnist for New York Magazine Jerry Saltz. Jason argues, that “The problem is nothing in traditional art world training has prepared the current gate keepers to understand or speak intelligently about the nuance of generative art.”.

On the one hand, you have the sceptics, the traditional art critics, judging the works based on their aesthetic qualities. On the other hand, you have computer scientists, researchers, and practitioners of AI, who are exploring new ways of what's possible and yet not fully understood. In near future, machines will become more sophisticated and accessible, causing a wider range of artists to adapt them in their work. Initiatives that could facilitate a dialogue between the two groups can enhance our experience and perception of the new medium. We are in an era where Art and Technology is a confluence, not a juxtaposition.

EONS is a short animation, a moving painting, a music video and an experiment in creating narrative using neural networks. EONS was created entirely using artificial neural nets: The Generative Adversarial Net BigGAN (Andrew Brock et al.) was used to create the visuals, while the Music was composed by Music Transformer (Anna Huang et al.). http://www.miketyka.com

Mike Tyka’s "EONS" - a video made entirely using #BigGAN, scored with Anna Huang’s #MusicTransformer

When in New York

3 nights  

In The City That Never Sleeps

Since I visited New York for the first time 7 years ago I've been returning on regular basis several times a year. Whether going for work or leisure, the city has always offered a new incredible experience, reminding every time why I love it so much.

When talking about cities, especially metropolitan ones as London or New York I can't help but reference concepts from a 1974 book by Jonathan Raban titled 'Soft City'. Just as he discusses the connection of an individual to a big city I think us readers could have our own experience with his book, connecting authors key argument to our unique journeys. Essentially, he believes the accumulation of personal experiences we encounter and paths we take is what constructs a city for us, our own city made up from the associations and memories our mind connects together. In 21st Century these encounters for me in New York included artsy (artsy as 'artistic' not as the company) video shoot locations, random all-nighters, favourite brunch spots, artist workshop visits, late night VR rooms, tons of unions, house parties, or occasional run-ins into a celebrity somewhere around Lower East Side. So inevitably I constructed my own version of New York, and although I don't think I can ever take off its 'Hard City' label, somewhere in my mind the city also softened up in allowing me to mould a version of my own. 

5th Avenue

I could write about countless favourite spots to visit and dwell how I'd love to take a sip of Jack's Wife Freda melon juice right now. However, I figured to keep it simple I'll just share a visual diary of the exhibitions I got a chance to catch during my stay this time and other snaps from my brief journey.

Barbara Kruger’s Untitled (Skate) at the Coleman/LES Skate Park under the Manhattan Bridge

Barba Kruger @LES Skate Park

This short-lived piece has been commissioned for Performa 17, 7th edition of the biennial that runs across both public areas and private venues in New York. 

Barbara Kruger has a signature white-on-red Futura Bold Oblique or Helvetica Ultra Condensed font slogans in some cases applied on black and white photography. You may remember her Selfridges collaboration, heard "I SHOP THEREFORE I AM" or if this doesn't ring a bell then think Supreme logo... and I love how The New Yorker describes Supreme being inspired by Kruger and "teasing the boundary between homage, parody, and theft" borrowing her style to create their iconic logo.

Eye Shadows by Sylvie Fleury

Eye Shadows by Sylvie Fleury @Salon 94

On the consumerist note I include the visit to Salon 94 solo 'make-up' show by Geneva-based pop artist Sylvie Fleury. Her works "larger-than-life symbols of contemporary vanity hang like black mirrors on the wall" @Salon 94. Fashionistas out there can probably already recognise their favourite shades of Chanel. Show open till 22nd December.

Gilbert & George: THE BEARD PICTURES @Lehmann Maupin

This year marks 50th anniversary for the British artistic duo Gilbert & George. On this occasion 170 works have been presented as part of the Beard Pictures series. My friend once rented a place next door to them at Spitafields and before knowing who it was has had serious concerns over their electricity. Apparently their basement was seen through a crack and lights were constantly on and off. This was all concerning until they finally met and it turned out to be their workshop and instead of lights it was simply the flash that made the lighting on and off. #knowyourartists

In New York I had a chance to see part of the anniversary series at Lehmann Maupin Lower Manhattan gallery that represents them. But then last week after coming back to London I also made it for White Cube opening of the other part of Beard Pictures and got to see the Gilbert & George IRL too. So for my friends both London & New York here you go:

NY - Lehmann Maupin 536 W 22nd Street & 201 Chrystie Street - open till 22nd December 

London - White Cube Bermondsey 144 – 152 Bermondsey Street - open till 28th January 2018

Kenny Scharf: Inner and Outer Space @Jeffrey Deitch

Probably the coolest gallery website (GO GO Click on it already)

“I like to connect with every movement in 20th-century art,” says Kenny Scharf describing his art. The show is mostly 2017 work fresh out of the artists studio. Scharf's melting cartoon faces and drip paintings surround the gallery space, many acting as a nostalgic reminder of the 80's culture. I enjoyed discovering the playful pieces at this solo show as well the incredible gallery space I have not been to previously. Or maybe in London I'm just not used to white cube space being anywhere much outside of... White Cube. 

Not to overwhelm in one go I'll follow up with the second part perhaps next week and If I ever finish - then video entry as well... stay tuned and thanks for reading (or browsing pics and getting this far) xxx.