In Conversation With
- Presented by
- Nguyen Wahed
On View
9-12 November
Paris Photo 2023
Booth SD05
Grand Palais Éphémère
Champ-de-Mars. Place Joffre
75007 Paris
Catalogue
Download here.
- Artists
- Manfred Mohr
- Matt DesLauriers
- Mario Klingemann
- Marcel Schwittlick
- Sofia Crespo & Anna Ridler
- 0xDEAFBEEF
Showcased within the digital sector of the Paris Photo 2023 art fair, NGUYEN WAHED presents In Conversation With, a group exhibition that traces the evolution of generative art and various photographic techniques over time. Spanning various algorithmic generative practices, including works created through machine-learning technologies, and translated into digital art and photography, the exhibition aims to showcase the relationship between generative art, analogue art, photography, and the beauty of combining these art forms.
In Conversation With presents a curated selection of hardware and software-based works; generative algorithmic plotter drawings, plotter luminograms, chronophotography, AI-based cyanotypes, and cameraless photography. Illustrating the mechanical craftsmanship involved in both generative art and various forms of photography, the show features works by Manfred Mohr, Matt DesLauriers, Marcel Schwittlick, 0xDeafbeef, Mario Klingemann, and Sofia Crespo in collaboration with Anna Ridler.
The exhibition celebrates leading contemporary artists, as well as paying homage to the pioneers of generative art, including Manfred Mohr and Mario Klingemann. Manfred Mohr's exploration of computer-generated art took root in the 1960s, initiated by his letter to the French Ministry of Transport to secure access to the computer centre of the Météorologie Nationale in Paris.
Manfred Mohr, P1680-B, Artificiata II, 2015. Computer-generated real-time algorithmic animation, imac, LCD screen, custom software. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Charlot.
Manfred Mohr, P2610_B, 2019. Computer-generated real-time algorithmic animation, Eizo Screen, MacMini, metal case, custom software. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Charlot.
DesLauriers and Schwittlick’s respective plotter drawings and plotter luminograms illustrate the differences, similarities, and relationship between these techniques.
Composition #92 process. A regular green laser is moved over photographic paper, exposing it to light - drawing with light. In the next step, the paper is developed and fixed using the traditional method of photo development.
Matt DesLauriers, Hachure, 2023. Mechanical pen plotter drawing. Detail. Courtesy of the artist.
Crespo and Ridler’s works are a collaboration that exemplifies the dynamic relationship between artificial intelligence and human creativity, transcending conventional digital artistic practice, and exploring what goes beyond traditional cyanotype.
Sofia Crespo and Anna Ridler, 83 seeds from a vanishing mountain, 2023. Unique cyanotype installation. Courtesy of the artists.
Sofia Crespo and Anna Ridler, 83 seeds from a vanishing mountain, 2023. Upon collection of the physical work, the buyer will also receive 25 unique, tokenised digital works, constructing the main piece, that can be resold separately later. Each token consists of the original whole image in the metadata. Courtesy of the artists.
Klingemann's series is based on the concept of ‘Neurography’, which encapsulates his innovative approach of engaging with neural networks, and intricate machine learning algorithms. Through this method, he pioneers a unique form of 'cameraless photography', training his neural networks on diverse source materials, including photographs of bodies. By employing generative adversarial networks (GAN), he is effectively blurring the boundary between human perception and computer-generated art.
Mario Klingemann, Teratoma Series_1, 2017. Courtesy of DAM Gallery.
Mario Klingemann, Teratoma Series_1, 2017. Courtesy of DAM Gallery.
Mario Klingemann, Teratoma Series_7, 2017. Courtesy of DAM Gallery.
0xDEAFBEEF’s digital chronophotography presents the first on-chain generative text series that explores blockchain as a new medium.
0xDEAFBEEF, First NFT #99879, 2021. Courtesy of the owner.
Curated by NGUYEN WAHED with selected works in collaboration with DAM Gallery (Berlin) and Galerie Charlot (Paris), In Conversation With explores the evolution of generative art and its interplay with photography, showcasing a diverse array of artistic practices, and an enduring relationship between art and technology.
Nguyen Wahed
Nguyen Wahed is a New York-based gallery with a program that focuses on, but is not limited to, digital and generative art practices. Focusing on contemporary artists (Leander Herzog, Sofia Crespo) who embody the intersection of technology and creativity, it expands onto rediscovering select phenomena in the peripheries of digital art starting from the 1960s (Manfred Mohr) to the first...
