E-motions

Hikikomori, translating to ‘pulling inward’ or ‘being confined’, is defined by The Japanese Ministry of Health as those who haven’t left their homes or interacted with others for a period exceeding six months.

First popularised by Japanese psychiatrist Tamaki Saitō in the late 1990s, it describes the general phenomena as well as the affected individuals themselves. Saitō was pivotal in identifying and studying this condition, emphasising not just the social, but also the psychological impacts of this form of severe isolation. Crucially, Saitō’s diagnosis revealed that there is no apparent physical or psychological problem at its core. Rather hikikomori pursue solitude to evade the inherent pressures of the outside world. Willing to forgo social interactions and personal relationships, they pull away from society in an attempt to find peace within the walls of seclusion.

A disheartening statistic from a Japanese cabinet survey revealed roughly 1.5 million working-age people in Japan are currently leading reclusive lives.

‘Post Internet’ broadly refers to the condition of art following widespread internet adoption at the turn of the century. At its core, it acknowledges the centrality of the internet and its subsequent networks in modern day society, from which art creation cannot be separated. As Karen Archey and Robin Peckham articulate for the ‘Art Post-Internet’ exhibition at the Centre for Contemporary Art, “the most pressing condition underlying contemporary culture today—from artistic practice and social theory to our quotidian language—may well be the omnipresence of the internet.” 

E-motions seeks to bridge the gap between machine logic and human emotion, inviting us to consider our own relationships with the non-human or more-than-human entities that surround us. Charged with emotion and rooted in reality, the works on display offer novel ways to connect with technology and create meaning within a world governed by it. 

Claire Silver

is an anonymous AI-collaborative artist that works with oil, acrylic, collage, photography and different digital mediums to create her work. She often incorporates classical elements and mythos into her art, producing work that feels at once familiar and strange. Her work explores themes of innocence, trauma and the hero’s journey, asking how our view of them will change in an increasingly transhumanist future. Her art can be found in the permanent collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and has been shown at Sotheby’s London and Christie’s New York, as well as other galleries, museums and festivals around the world.

Emi Kusano

is a Tokyo-based digital artist who explores the fusion of retrofuturism and technology in her work. Initially a Harajuku street photographer, she now explores the intersection of reality and fiction through post-photography, leveraging artificial intelligence. Kusano’s groundbreaking AI-generated artwork graced the first-ever cover of WWD Japan. She also serves as a valuable member of the Japanese Government’s Cultural Council, addressing AI copyright issues. Her digital creations gained international recognition at the prestigious Christie’s x Gucci auction. Additionally, Emi co-founded Shinsei Galverse, a pioneering anime project powered by AI, breaking records and redefining anime creation. She stands at the forefront of the digital art revolution, seamlessly blending technology and creativity.

Petra Voice

is a contemporary digital artist renowned for her distinctive approach to generative art, seamlessly blending abstract and figurative elements. Her artistic journey traces back to her early years, as she nurtured her passion for art, earning a bachelor’s degree from the State University of Culture and Arts. Harnessing the power of artificial intelligence, Petra crafts hyperreal depictions of women, infusing each artwork with a compelling sense of femininity, emotional depth, and grace. Petra has firmly established herself as a leading figure in the world of AI-generated art, earning nominations, accolades, and recognition. Her works have been exhibited in galleries internationally, being featured in countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Korea, and Japan.

Speakingtomato

is a Turkey-based digital artist, born in Lithuania and raised in Ukraine. With an impressive 15-year artistic journey, she specialises in crafting camera portraits and dreamlike, surreal images that narrate her life’s tales and dreams. Olena’s digital creations employ AI technology further enriched through manual enhancements using tools like Adobe Photoshop. Her art seamlessly marries elements of modernism, surrealism, and symbolism. Olena’s work has garnered international acclaim, with her works gracing exhibitions at prestigious events like London NFT Week and Miami Art Basel. Olena is an active member of MAIF, a collective of artists leveraging AI tools, and TEZ Girls, a vibrant community celebrating female NFT artists. Additionally, she’s a passionate art collector, amassing a collection of over 200 blockchain-based artworks, many of which are creations by fellow AI artists.

Ilya Shkipin

is a multidisciplinary artist and illustrator based in California. His work uses machine learning and gestural paint application to create figurative works which blur illusions and reality. Shkipin depicts reality by placing anguished figures in dream-like empty, distorted spaces. Subjects blend into their environments, evoking the feeling of memories and time passing. He holds a BFA in Illustration from the Academy of Art in San-Francisco, and his work has been exhibited on curated platforms including SuperRare, Objkt and Foundation.

Noper

is an anonymous digital artist based in the USA who combines AI-generated art with a background in photography, traditional art, and digital design. His journey spans diverse landscapes, from the sprawling cities of China to the quiet corners of Florida, infusing his creations with unique sources of inspiration and perspectives. Noper aims to transform technology into a canvas for storytelling, inviting the viewer to journey to imagined environments where creativity reigns and both tangible and intangible aspects of life are reflected. His work has been displayed on eminent curated digital art platforms such as KnownOrigin, Foundation and Objkt, and was featured in the exhibition ‘Explore // Embrace’ curated by BLOOM x MakersPlace for NFC Lisbon.

OPTICNERD

is a digital artist and AI creator, who has been actively exploring artificial intelligence for several years. Their experiments with AI began when they discovered VQgan+Clipm, resulting in the minting of diverse collections on the Tezos and Ethereum blockchains. OpticNerd’s artistic style blends pop culture genres and fine art, and their work prominently features cyberpunk aesthetics and dystopian landscapes. Notably, their project, Chiba City, delves into the compelling theme of AI rights and the impending coexistence of a new species in our communities. This exploration raises intriguing questions about how our human instincts might interact with these new citizens and shape our shared future. OpticNerd’s work is primarily showcased on curated digital art platform Objkt.

Violet Forest

is a digital artist and developer experimenting with AI, VR/AR, and web art, whose work explores the confluence of femininity and technology. She holds a Masters in Fine Arts in Art & Technology from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Forest is a co-founder of the cybertwee collective and was a developer and discord mod for the Tezos platform Hicetnunc.xyz. Transitioning from film photography in her undergraduate years, she now prefers experimenting and generating work with AI. She has been creating NFTs since 2021, and has shown her works in solo and group shows at institutions including Birmingham Open Media, UK and Berlin Transmediale Festival, Germany.

benedict

is a digital artist interested in pushing the boundaries of both abstraction and figuration. Using an innovative combination of artificial intelligence and 3D renderings, he constructs futuristic worlds in which natural forms intertwine with abstract shapes and nonhuman entities. His surreal and bizarre landscapes are intended to subvert expectations and absorb viewers’ attention. His technically sophisticated and emotionally charged works have been released on a number of curated digital art platforms, including Foundation and Objkt.

Chelsea Jones

is a self-taught, multidisciplinary artist. With six years of experience working as a visual designer and traditional oil painter, she has developed a keen interest in experimenting with the interplay between traditional painting techniques and modern technology. She is particularly interested in the creative possibilities afforded by artificial intelligence and utilises it in her work to celebrate black culture and personal stories in a beautiful, surreal way. She seeks to bring representation to the art world in new and innovative ways, delving into playfulness, nostalgia, surrealism and the profound depths of black culture. Her digital works have been featured on SuperRare, Foundation and Object. She also produces physical prints of her AI assisted works.

Ilya Bliznets

is a Russian artist engaged in figurative painting and exploring its perspective visual forms. He uses both traditional materials as well as graphic editors and AI to create digital art. Bliznets’ work employs a painterly aesthetic to create self-reflective, introspective AI generated pieces. From 2017 to 2018, Bliznets was a member of the art group ‘Cosi o cosa’ composed of three artists who created collaborative paintings. He has been active in the NFT space since 2022, and has exhibited digital work in group exhibitions including ‘ARTIST X AI VOL 2’, SuperchiefGalleryNFT, Art Basel, Miami; ‘RECOLLECTION, AI AND MEMORY’, The NFT Gallery, New York and London and ‘Real Thoughts’, MFA Gallery, Rome.

Petra Cortright

is a contemporary artist based in Altadena, CA. Her core practice centres around the creation and distribution of digital and physical images using consumer or corporate software. She became renowned for making self-portrait videos that use her computer’s webcam and default effects tools. Cortright’s paintings on aluminium, linen and paper are created in Photoshop. She studied Fine Arts at Parsons School of Design, The New School, New York, NY and the California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA. Her works are in the permanent collections of prominent international institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; The Péréz Museum, Miami; The Bass Museum, Miami; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles; the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; Moderna Museet, Stockholm and MOTI, Breda in collaboration with Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam.

Szkandal

is a Ukrainian new media artist based in Poland. Beginning his career as a self-taught traditional artist, he began his explorations with AI-generated art in 2022. His works prominently feature themes of chaos, disorder and the duality of man through graphic, illustrative imagery. He draws technical and thematic inspiration from renowned graphic novelists like Druillet, Moebius and Spieglman. Szkandal’s art often consists of intricate fictional architectural and natural settings, encouraging viewers to engage deeply with each piece. Szkandal’s work has been showcased on notable curated digital art platforms, including Objkt and Foundation.

ileigh

is an anonymous multidisciplinary artist from NYC. Focusing on AI collaborative art, she translates poetic language into visual representations exploring elements from vanitas, still life and landscape painting. Influenced by art history and inspired by the AI revolution, she sees a new paradigm unfolding and aspires to make a contribution. She minted her first work on the ETH blockchain in December 2022, followed by the Tezos blockchain in January 2023. Ileigh’s Mon·AI·Lisa earned second place in the 3rd Claire Silver AI Contest in February 2023, and her works have been featured on prestigious digital art platforms including Objkt and Foundation.

Læght

is a digital artist and graphic designer whose work explores their interests in culture and form. Their work examines themes of history and identity including Black identity, African American media, Cape Verdean and Puerto Rican history, as well as the techno-nostalgia of 16 and 32 bit video games, lost media and early internet culture. læght uses large language and diffusion models to create works with a combination of digital and physical collage techniques. Their work is concerned with celebrating the uncanny and unexpected effects present in contemporary AI technology, including distortions in human anatomy and misinterpretation of language; læght’s work does not seek to recreate reality, but rather explores the inhuman mistakes which make each work unique. læght’s work has been featured on leading curated digital art platforms such as Objkt and Foundation.

Fabiola Larios

is a Miami-based interdisciplinary artist. Her artistic journey revolves around exploring the intersection of technology, identity, and representation within the contemporary digital landscape. By harnessing the power of machine learning, artificial intelligence, net-art, and vintage computing, she embarks on a quest to challenge our understanding of selfhood and examine the profound impact of social media and the internet on our lives. Fabiola’s work serves as a thought-provoking exploration of these themes, inviting viewers to contemplate the ever-evolving relationship between humanity and technology. Her works have been featured on multiple digital art platforms including Objkt and Foundation.

Quantum Communications

is a 3D artist who crafts liminal spaces using Blender and After Effects, beckoning viewers to transcend the boundaries between infinite hallways, corporate aesthetics and the eerie unknown. With a deep fascination for the pixel, Quantum has dedicated themselves to exploring the enigmatic intersection of the digital and physical realms. Their work is a mesmerising fusion of computer screens, TV flickers, VHS aesthetics, and a pervasive sense of nostalgia. In Quantum Communications’s art, pixelated aesthetics breathe life into a realm where the line between memory and reality blurs, inviting viewers on a surreal journey through the captivating world of digital and analog synthesis. Their work is mostly featured on the Tezos platform Objkt.

tomeo

is a digital artist, whose works examine themes of hauntology and memory through metaphysical interpretations of AI generated environments. He graduated in Philosophy from the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Lisboa, Portugal, and previously worked in graphic design and Javascript programming before becoming a generative artist. Inspired by photography and film, tomeo explores storytelling through technology, using AI and generative techniques to create images with enchanted animated narratives. His work has been featured on numerous curated digital art platforms including Foundation, fx(hash) and Objkt, and in 2022 was exhibited in the SCOPE Art Show during Art Basel Miami.

pale kirill

is a visual artist and digital designer from Belarus and holds a Master’s degree in Architecture. His artistic oeuvre explores religious and spiritual motifs through application of minimalistic and lucid symbols. Kirill employs a vibrant and contrasting colour palette, often depicting flames and utilising captivating gradients. He finds intrigue in the concept of interfaces and their influence on human behaviour. His AI-generated artworks can be found on Objkt.com and Foundation, where he skillfully unravels complex themes, such as spirituality, faith, and the Creator, in a simple and metaphorical language. Kirill’s fascination with AI as a form of communication with the collective mind has evolved into a harmonious partnership with the technology, enabling him to craft unique and meaningful narratives in his art. He envisions a future where AI communication transcends buttons and screens, providing a seamless, human-like interaction.

SRodan

is a digital artist from Istanbul who weaves captivating short stories by blending retro technology, digital printmaking, AI, and video. Their unique approach marries utopian art with deconstructionist aesthetics, resulting in a body of work which effortlessly transports viewers into a world where the nostalgia of retro tech converges with the precision of digital craftsmanship. AI and video techniques add layers of complexity to the narrative of each piece, creating a body of work which encourages contemplation and introspection. Influenced by Theo van Doesburg and Barbara Kruger, their style delves into dark psychological De Stijl. Philosophically, they draw inspiration from Baudrillard, Deleuze, and Sartre. S.Rodan’s art serves as a thought-provoking journey through duality, inviting all to join or silently observe. SRodan has exhibited at Art Basel, London, and has had work featured on curated platforms such as SuperRare, Foundation and Objkt.

Tù.úk’z

also known as Arthur Machado, is a Brazilian digital artist renowned for embracing dynamic and experimental methodologies. Tù.úk’z’s body of work spans a broad spectrum of digital forms, from glitch and AI, to collage, painting, image, video, and sound. Tù.úk’z’s art frequently explores themes of the abstract and the psychedelic, reflecting the influences that consistently thread through his artistic journey. In 2015, Tù.úk’z undertook a transformative experience as a digital nomad, traversing several European countries with just a bag and a computer, exchanging his art for accommodation and sustenance. Currently, Tù.úk’z resides in southern Brazil with his family. Tù.úk’z’s work has been exhibited in over 20 countries across the globe, including in Sotheby’s recent sale ‘Glitch: Beyond the Binary’ in 2023.

robek world

is an enigmatic digital artist who delves into the realm of crypto art with a unique approach. Since 2014, they have actively participated in online movements centred around decentralisation. Their involvement in pioneering NFT collectables, particularly curio cards, and the sheer volume of their NFT collection underscore their lasting historical significance. In their latest artistic venture, Robek pushed the boundaries of their signature pixelated style. They introduce elements of geometric abstraction while preserving anime-inspired aesthetic, reminiscent of the late 20th century anime era. He has undertaken creative experiments in their practice by incorporating AI elements into their video pieces, accompanied by carefully crafted sound design, creating works which evoke a profound sense of nostalgia and whimsy. His work has been featured on numerous curated platforms such as SuperRare and Foundation.

Matthew Stone

is a multidisciplinary artist who introduced the concept of ‘Optimism as Cultural Rebellion’ in 2004. His work persistently explores the potential for digital embodiment, simultaneously disrupting and creatively affirming paint’s role as the ‘cosmic flesh’ of art history. Stone’s artworks range from expansive figurative linen canvases and digital paintings to artist salons and mystic nightclub performances. In the last decade, his focus has shifted to wrapping paint around imagined, neuroqueer digital avatars, resulting in painterly and heroic entangled human figures. This workflow is particularly inventive, balancing the primacy of both the artist’s computer and the hand. The process starts with individual, hand-painted brushstrokes, which are then digitised and mapped onto virtual 3D models. This creates a unique dance-like interplay of colour, enhanced dimensionality, and constructed light. Unapologetically rooted in the present, Stone’s experimental work acknowledges our contemporary reality. It generates a new, provocative aesthetic language that uplifts audiences both within and beyond the traditional art world.

Nikita Panin

is a versatile multimedia artist who blurs the boundaries of oil painting, ceramics, and digital art. As a self-identified global nomad, his whereabouts remain fluid and undefined. Initially specialising in ceramics during his undergraduate studies, he transitioned to a prolific period of oil painting from 2013 to 2020. Today, Panin has embarked on a journey into the realm of AI art, employing code for experimental exploration. His current artistic focus revolves around the boundless creative opportunities within artificial neural networks. Critics have hailed his work as both hypnotic and thought-provoking, celebrating his mathematically precise approach and his ability to traverse the realms of abstraction and figurative art, oscillating between affect and symbolism with masterful fluidity. Nikita has participated in exhibitions around the world including in Taiwan, Belgium, Argentina, Germany, New York and Los Angeles.

Alonerone

is a self-taught digital artist. He began his artistic career at the heart of the graffiti scene and, after graduating from the Mjm Art School in Strasbourg, he pursued a professional career as an artist in tandem with being a ‘Concept Provider’ in the field of digital communication. From 2013 to 2018, he taught on the use of new technologies in the service of creation at the College of Advertising and Design of Brussels. He has participated in several exhibitions with artistic installations implementing augmented reality, and his digital works have been presented at venues around the world, including at the Epinal Contemporary Art Biennial, Artist x AI // 000001 in New York and Los Angeles, NFT Show Europe, Neo Shibuya projection in Tokyo and Art Crush in Ghent. 

Sümeyra Yüce

is a multidisciplinary artist and educator residing in Turkey. She embarked on her artistic journey at Anadolu University’s Faculty of Fine Arts, specialising in painting and later earning her master’s degree from the same institution. Her work bridges traditional and digital realms, delving into themes of existence and self, often infused with autobiographical elements. Over the years, her art has graced various exhibitions, including notable showcases like BAZAART, BASE, OZMOZ, NEW NORMAL, and Peepsart Space. In 2022, she gained recognition by being featured in a selection curated by Brie Larson in collaboration with SuperRare and WOW Season 7 ArtDrop Reveal. Residing in Eskisehir, Turkey, Sümeyra exemplifies the evolving landscape of art in the digital age, where traditional and digital art seamlessly coexist and redefine artistic expression.