Themes and Variations #161

Themes and Variations by Vera Molnár, in collaboration with Martin Grasser

The illustrious computer art pioneer releases her first and only on-chain generative art project investigating three notorious letter forms that changed the conversation around digital art forever. Themes and Variations is Vera Molnár’s personal reflection towards her decades-long practice with the 'machine imaginaire' in the midst of an unforeseen digital art boom brought forward through the introduction of NFTs.

Themes and Variations encompasses a collection of 500 unique generative artworks. Within these works, Molnár passionately explores ideas she has delved into since the late 1960s when she first embarked upon the realm of algorithmic art. Central to her artistic expression is the seamless integration of letters as pure abstract forms, coupled with her affinity for embracing disorder. This deliberate choice grants the machine a certain level of autonomy, allowing it to challenge and even contradict the predefined rules established by Molnár herself. Thus, through this exploration of a dynamic interplay between the artist and the machine, uncharted territories within her creative practice are unveiled.

"All these variations around letters resonate in me like music. Even though I stopped playing the piano at the age of 15, music has never left me. I immediately think of Goldberg Variations or Beethoven's Diabelli Variations on a Waltz. That's why I gave the title Theme and Variations to the latest project with the letters N, F, and T that I am working on for my first and only long form generative art project."