Curated and produced by Joan Collins and Michael J. Masucci, with additional contributions from Victor Acevedo, DNA: 4th of 4 is a testament to the collaborative spirit of the digital arts community. The exhibition is named as such because it is the last in a four-year research and exhibition collaboration between LA ACM SIGGRAPH and the EZTV Online Museum, bringing together influential artists and thinkers from their 40 years of collaborative efforts.

DNA: 4th of 4 is part of the DNA Festival Santa Monica, taking place from June to November 2024. This celebration, which includes 24 events across 17 venues, aims to highlight the synthesis of art and science through digital media. The festival will feature art exhibitions, screenings, panel discussions, performances, and online experiences, making it the largest culmination of digital arts showcased in the Western Americas.

The exhibition begins on Saturday, June 22, with a reception from 2-4 PM, followed by a panel discussion on Sunday, June 23, titled "Reconsidering Early Telepresence." The discussion aims to offer deep insights into the early days of digital art and telepresence, a technology that has played a significant role in the development of digital media.

DNA: 4th of 4 features works by 24 influential artists from the late 1970s to the present day. These artists, including Oscar winner Kevin Mack, Emmy winners Rebecca Allen, Maija Beeton, and Kate Johnson, MacArthur "Genius" Award recipient Karl Sims, and JPL’s first artist-in-residence David Em, represent a diverse range of genres and approaches within digital art.

Many of the featured artists have had their works exhibited in renowned institutions such as the Pompidou Center, the Whitney Museum of American Art, LACMA, and the Getty Center.

Line up:

Jon 9 | Victor Acevedo | Rebecca Allen | Maija Beeton | Paul Brown | Clayton Campbell & Christian Knudsen | Mark Chavez | Coco Conn | Kate Crash | Dave Curlender & David Goodsell | Matt Elson | David Em | Federico Galavis | Kate Johnson | Sheriann Ki-Sun Burnham | Robert Lowden | Kevin Mack | Michael J. Masucci | Diane Piepol | Patric Prince | Karl Sims | Barbara T. Smith | Vibeke Sorensen | Michael Wright

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DNA: 4th of 4

June 22 to July 21, 2024 - Barrett Gallery Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center

Music Building, 1310 11th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401

Curated by Michael J. Masucci eztvmuseum.com, Joan Collins lasiggraph.org, with contributions from Victor Acevedo www.acevedomedia.com

Opening Reception on Saturday, June 22nd from 2-4 pm.

PHYGITAL MAG: ART | FASHION CULTURE | WEB3

In an almost epistolary manner — and it reminded me of Letters to Theo, perhaps the first artist story I ever read — Carolina wrote to me. Yes, as a poet, she also has the gift of words, and her responses to my questions were, fortunately, a sincere account of her life story as an artist. With a beginning, a middle, and an infinite path still to be traversed in life. Lucky us.

With five works from her Amazônia series (2018) selected for the curatorial project Terra Brasilis: A Digital Tapestry of the Brazilian Imagination by Galerie Gaudard on the Objkt platform, Carolina shared with me her early days as an artist, the daily challenges of maintaining her mental health, and her techniques, aesthetics, and poetics.

Carolina feels the world, and we feel the artist through her pieces.

Phygital Mag: What exactly is atmospheric abstract long-exposure photography? What motivated you to follow this path?

Carolina Braga Ferreira: I believe in capturing unrecognizable and ethereal images, where interpretation varies according to the individual and their feelings. The abstract focuses on visual elements that create intriguing and emotive compositions. It is important to me that the viewer finds their own meaning and sensation in the photographs, stemming from the emotions I experienced while creating them. This connection allows me to relate more deeply to those who see, read, and interpret my work. Art is an intimate experience; it is as if you are in my room, seeing me exposed, dressed, asleep, or awake. You see me in my rawest form.

"I am perpetually interested in experimenting with different photographic techniques and equipment to see how they can be combined to produce unique results."

My journey began in 2004 when I got my first camera at the age of eight. At that time, I did not understand what I wanted to capture or what I was doing. However, the desire to record something, anything, was already present. With this desire, I felt it was essential to explore new forms of artistic expression beyond the literal representation of the world.

At seventeen, with my third camera, now a professional one, life made more sense, and each day felt more worthwhile. I was happy despite going through an extremely fragile period; I had no friends, no longer went out alone, and was undergoing mental health treatment for issues like bipolar disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). I was an adolescent at the end of my teenage years, wanting to share the things I had seen and experienced without having to say a single word. I cherished silence; my heart always ached. I have always been a naturally sad person.

"My mind is a limbo, and I want to escape it."

As an obsessive and repetitive individual, I continually seek ways to convey specific emotions and atmospheres through photography, utilizing techniques that add layers of complexity and visual interest. I am perpetually interested in experimenting with different photographic techniques and equipment to see how they can be combined to produce unique results.

Through personal experience, I discovered atmospheric abstract photography with long exposure through a process of experimentation and creative exploration. I was drawn to the possibility of creating images that not only captured a moment in time but also conveyed a sense of movement and the passage of time.

By experimenting with long exposures, I realized I could transform common scenes into abstract and atmospheric compositions that evoked feelings and narratives beyond what traditional photography could offer or what I felt.

This discovery opened new doors for creative expression and allowed me to explore the world around me in an entirely new way. The result of my process is photographs that often possess an ethereal and dreamlike quality, evoking feelings, whether good or bad.

Recently, though, I have been able to create new collections, such as "Hope" (available on OBJKT) and "Identity" (available on ZORA), which speak about the hope and joy of escaping the void I was born into and still find myself in. My mind is a limbo, and I want to escape it. "Where is the door?" I ask myself. Speaking about hope and joy artistically might be one of the ways to attain them. I continue to try.

Phygital Mag: How do your feelings and personal experiences directly influence your works?

Carolina Braga Ferreira: I often say that waking up every day means knowing that there is a possibility that I might feel happy or sad, but always sure that art will still be there for me. I've been living my days in isolation, voluntarily reflecting on life and pursuing structured purposes. I don't believe in many things, but do believe that we should be grateful for the food we have to eat and for the existence of art itself.

Issues such as unrequited love, racism, bullying, intense mental suffering during my childhood and adolescence, and suicide attempts have directly influenced my work. The memories of moments of pure joy are also reflected in the colors; I recall times from my childhood with my mother and siblings and wish I could live in those moments. I would give anything to escape the past and also return to it. The artist does not exist without their pain or happiness. I am a wound that constantly bleeds, staining new rooms.

Phygital Mag: How does your poetic practice integrate with your visual and digital art? Is there a connection between the themes you explore in both forms of expression?

Carolina Braga Ferreira: I believe both contexts go hand in hand. When I express myself with words, it is important that every detail is conveyed, explained, and shown — remember, my mind is obsessive and repetitive. It is essential to tell exactly what needs to be told, as if I were asking for help from those who read me, presenting the facts and feelings transparently.

"With photography, I have learned to explain my pain without explicitly stating it; with poetry, I simply embrace who I am, directly."

Poetry is a melancholic record, a more flexible and direct expression of the soul. I also have the urge to talk about sex, which is very important to me. When I express myself through photography, however, I provide paths for the viewer to follow; each path contains a metaphorical, ethereal, intimate, sentimental representation, whether beautiful or ugly.

With photography, I have learned to explain my pain without explicitly stating it; with poetry, I simply embrace who I am, directly. These are two patterns I hold in my mind and heart. As an autistic person, I see the world in a structured way. These are two incessantly sad patterns, but they are honest, true, correct, pure, and dignified, with themes that cannot exist without each other. Is there life without death? Is there death without life? Is there good without evil? Is there evil without good? Life is a tragic pattern.

Phygital Mag: How has your experience been in the international art market? What have been the biggest challenges and rewards you have encountered over these seven years?

Carolina Braga Ferreira: My experience in the international art market has been a continuous learning journey, filled with significant challenges and rewards. Over these seven years, I have faced various obstacles, such as racism and xenophobia, but have also celebrated achievements that motivate me to continue my artistic path.

Understanding and adapting to the cultural preferences and expectations of different markets is a complex task. What is appreciated in one country may not resonate the same way in another. Exposure to different cultures and artistic perspectives has made me grow both personally and professionally.

"I believe that artists should support each other."

Establishing a presence in the international market requires time, effort, and empathy. Understanding that I do not wish to compete with artists from different parts of the world and standing out in such a competitive scene has been one of the greatest difficulties.

I believe that artists should support each other. I love others' art because it evokes something in me. How can one not be grateful to someone who moves you? This is the greatest reward — finding people who express themselves with the same tools but convey different or similar messages. Through the commercialization of my art, I am able to maintain my mental health treatment and also provide for my mother. There is no greater gratitude than this.

Phygital Mag: What attracted you to the world of NFTs? How do you see the relationship between digital art and the cryptocurrency market?

Carolina Braga Ferreira: I wanted a more modern and free way to share my art with a global audience because the traditional art market is somewhat rigid and, frankly, very traditional. What attracted me to the world of NFTs was the opportunity to explore new forms of engagement. Fortunately, I've made many friends and contacts and intend to always consider the possibility of taking my art beyond through NFTs.

Let's not forget that there are innovative platforms like Teia, OBJKT, Zora, Foundation, and others, where digital artists can post their works, allowing them to sell their art as unique and collectible items, ensuring authenticity and ownership through blockchain technology. This represents a significant shift in how art is bought, sold, and valued. It's a very powerful, dynamic relationship between art and money!

Phygital Mag: You mention living in isolation and voluntary reflection. How does this period of introspection influence your artistic and literary production?

Carolina Braga Ferreira: I stopped fighting against the demons that were born with me and still live with me. I don't read the Bible to them anymore, you know? Metaphorically speaking. I won't hurt them anymore. I feed them to stay alive. Staying at home was the only way I found to keep myself alive.

Staying home didn't start as a voluntary act. Mental illness begins very insidiously, slowly, without you realizing it exists. There are some signs, I can't deny, but if you're suffering so much, how will you notice them?

"People don't like to talk about their pain, but I need to."

My life changed drastically at 16, for reasons I still can't make public, and then my soul detached from my body. I also say I have a broken spirit, especially after 2019. The trauma was so great that I simply didn't return to who I was, even though I was already someone (at the time, a child or teenager) emotionally unstable.

People don't like to talk about their pain, but I need to. "Can I come over?" "Shall we go out?" These are constant questions I get from people, to which I have to say no and explain why. People want to know, to understand, but it's nothing extraordinary. It's like being so, so physically ill that you can't get out of bed, you know? Some think it's cool not to have to leave the house, but it's not. I've been so ill that I couldn't go to the doctor, for example. If the doctor hadn't actively helped me, I might have died.

I am a full-time artist, constantly in touch with my thoughts and feelings. The frequency and manner in which I create art is more intense and much, much sadder, as I feel like I've left this world we all live in. I simply can't remember the last time I went out alone and had an ice cream, for example. You might say it's sad, and perhaps it is, but things are what they are, pain is what it is, and we are who we are. I don't believe there is a cure for everything or every pain. Time can comfort us or repel us.

Phygital Mag: Do you have any specific rituals or processes you follow before creating your works? Could you share a bit about your workflow?

Carolina Braga Ferreira: When I'm not feeling numb or extremely sad, I have some rituals and processes that I follow before creating my works, which help me get into the necessary mental state for artistic creation, such as listening to music.

"If you or someone you know is struggling, you are not alone. Seek help, don't give up, please."

Art is like a record of what has happened. If I'm very sad, I can't create. Can you think rationally when you're crying desperately? It's like that. However, if I'm in a manic phase, I can create art all the time, twenty-four hours or more, and even forget to eat, bathe, or sleep, as has happened many times. I know it's not healthy, which is why I understand the need for medication. By the way, I want to use this interview to say that if you or someone you know is struggling, you are not alone. Seek help, don't give up, please.

My work is about the act of time. It all starts with the desire to have something concrete, and then I find myself in the dark. I am the light itself and I draw freely and spontaneously in the air so that the long exposures happen. Photos are opened in several different image editing programs and complemented by digital art. My base is always photography because I have always expressed myself with it.

My workflow is intense due to the intensity of my feelings. They want to be portrayed, so they urge me constantly. I constantly have to depict life and death within me.

Phygital Mag: You state that art saves you completely. How does art play this transformative role in your life?

Carolina Braga Ferreira: If it weren't for my mother and art, I would have no reason to live. When I see the finished inner representation, I realize that I'm not crazy and that it happened. Art, being a record, consists of self-centered chapters. Perhaps art is excessively selfish, but it needs to exist. Art has an incredible power to touch the deepest parts of our humanity.

Phygital Mag: Regarding the Amazônia series, could you tell me about the inspiration, technique, aesthetics, and poetics involved? What is your favorite piece in the series?

Carolina Braga Ferreira: Our greatest heritage is the Amazon rainforest, tended by native peoples for so long, who were killed by white colonizers. I am Brazilian — the blood of the murdered natives accompanies me to this day. The Amazon rainforest is an almost divinely wonderful world, which unfortunately has been and will continue to be greatly exploited. The series reveals the hidden beauties of our greatest treasure.

"Can you imagine yourself inside the Amazon rainforest? I imagine myself there every time I create a new piece for this series."

The pieces in the Amazônia series (2018) hold vibrant colors and secrets, given the rich species of fauna and flora. Can you imagine yourself inside the Amazon rainforest? I imagine myself there every time I create a new piece for this series.

I would like to leave home to buy a present for my mother, to swim again in the deep pool where I used to swim when I was eight because I loved the silence at the bottom of the pool — there were no screams or pain, only silence. I would also like to leave home and, perhaps, respectfully enter this mysterious world of the native peoples.

My favorite piece in the series is the first one, Wildflowers, created in 2018 when I began studying about the forest and its medicinal plants and animals. It was like dreaming while awake. Living is like daydreaming.

These pieces by Carolina Braga Ferreira that you've seen in this article were selected for the ongoing curation 'Terra Brasilis: A Digital Tapestry of Brazilian Imagination' by Galerie Gaudard on the Objkt.com platform. You can check them out and add them to your collection — all are available on the primary or secondary market.

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Carolina Braga Ferreira

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PHYGITAL MAG: ART | FASHION CULTURE | WEB3

The Web3 era is bringing collagists back to the scene in a different way. Cutting and pasting now involves not just mainly the digital as it did in the first decade of the XXI Century; it's between scissors and blockchain — and that's where I found Mime.

“Since I started making collages, I have ideas to create every day, every minute. I never get bored in my daily life with creating,” says Maxime, better known as Mime, an artist born in Tours, France. If you've seen a cobalt blue liquid flowing down your timeline over black and white collages, in portraits that remind us of the most artistic fashion editorials we could ever have seen, we are probably reflecting on the same person.

Mime lived in Paris for seven years, from 2013 to 2020, and I asked how this experience reflected on his artistic journey: “I worked in the contemporary art & design sector, and it has greatly influenced my artistic approach. All the mediums and materials I've seen had a huge impact on my approach. I also met a lot of friends in the fashion industry and at rave parties, which has led me to a certain fashion sensibility,” he told me in an exclusive interview with Phigital Mag.

It's not uncommon for certain tones to become a kind of signature for an artist. Mime's cobalt blue was born when his path crossed with a can of spray paint in an art supply store: the color suddenly captured his attention — and today it captures ours, through his artistic hands.

“Black and white is also a way for me to keep the initial subject as minimalist as possible. It offers me a huge surface to work on without being overloaded with details. I want the audience to see 2 or 3 catching points maximum. The cobalt blue has been my signature since I started making collages”, he explains.

Regarding his creative process, Mime says that fashion particularly inspires him in terms of female representation: “Fashion photographers know how to put a specific sensibility into women’s gestures and expressions in a minimal visual approach. I am very fascinated by the feelings a picture of a woman can provide to the audience. In my work, those visuals can provide an additional feeling in a minimalistic way, so I can add a bit of my collage practice to keep it minimal and efficient as well,” he says.

In some works, Mime uses digital lights added with After Effects and some video editing as well. “But I always work with paper and real-life materials to make it look real, there's a grain that is inimitable with paper. I think I'm contrasting/making a strong identity for my work by being attached to real-life visuals in this almost fully digital world,” and he's right: his work already has, in fact, his visual signature.

Another visual element that is constantly present in his artworks is classical antiquity and Egyptian history. "I cut them, adding mixed media, and sticking visuals with the mood I had at the moment," he describes.

Regarding current projects, highlighting his "phygital" vein, the artist reveals the production of real-world sculptures: “I'm working on pieces for my upcoming exhibition in Brussels in June. I work along my series 'ECHOES OF THE PAST' that I upload on Objkt.com. I wanted to make this digital work real-life, so I work around printed aluminum cut forms to put these human silhouettes into real contexts like ours.”

I asked what keeps him motivated to create, and how to stay creative with the ups and downs of life. His response perhaps reflects a cut from our days, whose collage reveals a portrait of ourselves: “My downs rely on the algorithm of social networks when my work doesn’t get seen at all. With an audience come art projects, and art purchases. It can be annoying and frustrating for me when I compare my audience to other artists on social media. But to cheer myself up again, I focus on creating. This is my cycle."

These pieces by Mime that you've seen in this article were selected for the ongoing curation 'E-Loom: Rethinking and Weaving Fashion in The Web3 Age' by Galerie Gaudard on the Objkt.com platform. You can check them out and add them to your collection — all are available on the primary or secondary market.

>>> HERE

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MIME

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PHYGITAL MAG: ART | FASHION CULTURE | WEB3

You look at the artwork, the artwork looks at you. It's the artist's gaze.

Navigating through the works of Lídice Silveira, 27, Brazilian visual artist and art director, born and working in Brasília, the observer can expect almost anything. But rarely, invented stories: "In the end, even if I paint an abstract painting, it will still convey some of my feelings," he reveals to me, in an exclusive interview for Phygital Mag.

"Les Yeux Sans Visage" (2023) devours you while touching you: "I make art because I want to be free to create whatever I want on my terms," he states, reflecting and making us reflect on his process as an artist. At that moment, coming out of a period of introspection and social isolation, post-pandemic, "Les Yeux Sans Visage" marks the artist's desire to observe. Eyes of contemplation.

"Most of my works are observations, about feelings, emotional processes, power dynamics. It's a process of psychomagic, I would say. I recreated myself, and today I completely rely on these works - in the sense that they gave me a reason to live, a reputation in the cultural scene, and a way to sustain myself - which are fragments of real moments that I had to feel and experience at their peak, until I could transmute them into art that communicates that, and ends up generating empathy with my way of living or my point of view."

"There are no greater protectors of nature than indigenous peoples."

AI, 3D, performances, fashion collections. Among his main references are Ana Mandieta's brilliant work, and her relationship with the body, nature, and gender. And ephemerality. It's no coincidence that Lídice uses organic materials as support for his art.

"Beyond myself, I like to deal with ecology, organic materials, philosophies of indigenous peoples, and ancestral technologies. But it ends up being self-referential again since I'm in the process of reclaiming my Guajajara indigenous ancestry. There are no greater protectors of nature than indigenous peoples", he states.

The artist studied Visual Arts at the University of Brasília (UNB) and believes that academic training helps maintain the production exercise at the beginning of one's career, learning techniques and debating subjectivities. "But the course doesn't help at all in entering the art market," he confesses. "At most, there are some group exhibitions promoted by professors, but nothing that guarantees an artist's subsistence."

"I find it funny how people demonize things they don't understand, or simply reproduce a ready-made discourse. Selling NFTs, immaterial arts, impacts my material reality."

Today, with works on the blockchain, Lídice is categorical: "My work finally feeds me." What is strange is, not infrequently, in Brazil, the fact that an artist has NFT works is a reason for mistrust and prejudice.

"I have friends who think I've turned into a crypto bro, ancap, or that I'm liberal - when actually, I'm still anarcho-communist. I've seen posts that were directed at me with sayings like 'If you can sell your work, it's because you sold your soul for validation,' things as hideous as that. I find it funny how people demonize things they don't understand, or simply reproduce a ready-made discourse. Selling NFTs, immaterial arts, impacts my material reality. I've got a good computer, then a good cell phone, and many other things I never even imagined," he vents.

Lídice, who first heard about NFTs through the artist Grimes, decided to mint his work at the invitation of the curator and also artist Taís Koshino, his friend in Brasília, from the founding team of the Hic et Nunc platform. "That's when everything changed, the whole paradigm of distributing and selling my work," he says.

The first NFT work was "9 Coins" (2021), which the artist considers to be very symbolic of his relationship with NFTs. He minted it on Hic et Nunc, after watching over two hours of tutorials on the platform, in a YouTube video by the artist Alexandre Rangel.

Regarding the future, high hopes: "I want to eventually exhibit in international and national biennials, Venice is a dream. Right now, I'm starting from scratch in music, I sing well, and I'm learning to compose in Garageband. My new ambition is to release an album or EP. Even though I continue actively producing visuals, texts, videos, etc., including for other artists, I'm a little saturated with images. It's strange because it's something I love and will never stop doing, but my heart desires to work with music too, so I don't want to waste time waiting for the right moment. In a way, one knowledge complements the other - what would musicians be without visual artists?" he asks, concluding.

And I ask myself: what would all of us be in this life without visual artists, as well?

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Lídice Silveira

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PHYGITAL MAG: ART | FASHION CULTURE | WEB3

"The world of the arts is intimately ambiguous. In fact, only that which is ambiguous can be considered art." - Philippe Daverio

Natalie Shau has many art tales - fairy, horror, erotica, fashion, surreal - to tell us all. With almost 20 years of career in illustration, photography, and digital art, the artist was born in Vilnius, Lithuania, in 1984, and is now based in the Netherlands.

She chose mainly the feminine as the protagonist of her works and often serves as a model for her pieces, in self-portraits full of mystery and, why not, provocation.

Fashion photography and portraits have always been part of her field of interest and study, and her work presents a very strong cultural background, with images that evoke the religious universe, ancient Nordic stories, and classics of horror and Russian literature.

"I consider myself a dark artist. A lot of my photography is focused on darker alternative and historical fashion, and I am fascinated with designers who not only create beautiful clothes but create something to provoke or confront you. Less about wearability, but pure concept fashion, that can create fantastical visions," Natalie explains in an exclusive interview for Phygital Mag.

Fashion is indeed an element that notably permeates her images. And her references are intense: "I love the work of designers like Alexander McQueen, Eiko Ishioka, Thierry Mugler, Rick Owens," she lists. Not bad at all.

The artist has been commissioned by designers, novelists, filmmakers, and musicians, as well as signing works in the editorial market - you will find Natalie's work on the covers of books like Cyanure by Camilla Lackberg, and La suit du Solstice by LJ Smith, for example.

Natalie, multiskilled, produces works made with a remix of photography, computer graphics, elements in 3D, and AI. Her first work on the blockchain was Peccatum, in which the artist explores dark corners of the human psyche, through the Foundation platform.

Shau believes that digital art needed NFTs for a long time. "As a lot of galleries were overlooking digital art as something that doesn't have an 'original.' Like in painting, there are originals and there are copies or prints. And that affected the prices. Now a lot of galleries will have to reconsider their views about digital art, and have a more serious approach to it," she ponders.

Natalie Shau has works on Tezos, Ethereum, and Solana, with collectors mainly in the first two. "I prefer to use Ethereum for 1/1s. Solana is fairly new to me," says the artist who left her studies in economics and business college and doesn't regret it.

I ask about the future. Natalie reflects: "Art for me is not some type of career path, creation and expressing myself is a way of life. Of course, I am lucky that I can call it my profession too, so I will just continue to better myself in my craft and explore different stories."

Some of her works present the feminine occasionally in paradoxical mode, for example, with fetish ballet women, hooded, carrying firearms: "All my work is about duality. Either it's fantasy art or photography. Because the world consists of beauty and ugliness, weakness and strength, life and death. I also love to make the past and the future meet each other in the present time," she explains.

Indeed, it is none other than Philippe Daverio, Italian art historian and critic, in his delightful "L'Arte di guardare l'arte" (The Art of Looking at Art), who finally teaches us: "The world of the arts is intimately ambiguous. In fact, only that which is ambiguous can be considered art." And Natalie Shau's entire body of work is certainly a work of art. A very good, ambiguous work of art.

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PHYGITAL MAG: ART | FASHION CULTURE | WEB3

"A work of art is not an object, it is not a thing, it is a proposal for man, a proposal for society."

Vast, prolific, visionary. Waldemar Cordeiro (Rome, 1925 - São Paulo, 1973) explored from concretism to digital art in his works, transitioning from artistic production to theoretical reflection.

His early works are in the expressionist spectrum, but the artist would soon escape to abstract production, distant from figuration, distant from naturalism and art for art's sake. He wanted to change the world through it, through the artistic production of the new.

"Electronic artworks are interdisciplinary. Taking advantage of discoveries in the field of neurology and Gestalt, we can highlight direct similarities between Concrete Art and Computer Art."

Waldemar Cordeiro was politically engaged and a defender of art as a fundamental element of the social transformation process. Faced with the military coup of 1964 in Brazil, he incorporated a strongly critical dimension into his works, such as the series of Popcretos, with poet Augusto de Campos. Artist Hélio Oiticica (1937/1980) attributed to Cordeiro the pioneering of the appropriation of everyday things in his works.

Cordeiro saw in the traditional forms of concrete art, in geometry, elements that could induce organization through new codes. For the artist, "electronic artworks are interdisciplinary. Taking advantage of discoveries in the field of neurology and Gestalt, we can highlight direct similarities between Concrete Art and Computer Art."

The social and critical dimension was also introduced into his artistic achievements using the computer. For Cordeiro, "a work of art is not an object, it is not a thing, it is a proposal for man, a proposal for society", as he explains in a recorded statement.

"Digital art responds to the technological and cultural evolution produced by population growth, large urban agglomerations, the decrease in physical distances, and the development of telecommunications. Computer art is the realization of ideas through arithmetic and logical operations, covering psychological, ethical, sensory, ideological, sensitive, and intellectual variables."

The artist created images with interest in both their style and their pattern. In "Pirambu," for example, where a local artist used geometric design, Cordeiro anticipates in a certain sense the design carried out by the computer, says Rachel Price, a teacher at Princeton University (USA).

From 1961 to 1973, five international exhibitions were organized under the title "New Tendencies" in Zagreb, Croatia. It was a continuation of the development of ideas from Exat51, during the 1950s, and was part of the post-informal art movement in the 1960s and 1970s in Europe.

In 1968, Waldemar Cordeiro was instrumental in introducing computing to the arts in Brazil. Additionally, he played a pivotal role in the New Tendencies movement, legitimizing the "electronic brain" as a tool for creating artwork, as noted by art historian Margit Rosen.

A year later, for the 1969 exhibition, Cordeiro did not present a visual work, but rather a computer-generated poetry work. It was called "Informative Content of Three Consonants and Three Vowels."

"All the effort of the vanguard is characterized by digitalization of artistic language, the difference between the vanguard of the first industrial revolution and the current vanguard is a technological difference, not a methodological difference. Both aim to translate the work into numbers."

Cordeiro was also interested in the ontological promises of this new digital era, and he was prescient in a few ways, says Price. In 1971, he organized ARTEÔNICA, an exhibition of computer art for which he wrote an essay on some of the coming challenges and possibilities of digital culture.

He comprehended, contrary to common belief, that the body and the computer are closely aligned, rather than being opposed to each other. He believed that both artists and computers were not simply producing objects, but rather creating templates for understanding and processing information.

In 1973, Cordeiro sent his visual experiments made through a computer to Zagreb, the series "Derivatives of an Image", "The Woman who is not B.B.", and "People."

In a letter from Waldemar Cordeiro to the organizers of New Tendencies, in August 1968, he wrote: "All the effort of the vanguard is characterized by digitalization of artistic language, the difference between the vanguard of the first industrial revolution and the current vanguard is a technological difference, not a methodological difference. Both aim to translate the work into numbers."

Cordeiro's propositions were important, at the end of the day, to stabilize the idea that the arts should embrace the computer, a machine believed to bring a revolution more important than "the revolution of the machines that inspired Karl Marx."

Art critic, cultural promoter, landscaper, and urban planner. Artist, designer. Brilliant intellectual, self-taught, honorary doctorate from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP). But Walter Cordeiro was, above all, a humanist.

PHYGITAL MAG: ART | FASHION CULTURE | WEB3

The next Non-Fungible Conference (NFC) in Lisbon will take place from May 28th to 30th, 2024, and promises once again to energize the circuit of digital arts on the blockchain. In this edition, artists on Tezos will have the opportunity to exhibit their video works in a 20-minute immersive experience on the event's 500m² main stage.

The open call summons artists to share a broad spectrum of video works, ranging from AI-generated videos to animated generative pieces, 3D videos with sound, performance art, poetry, glitch art, short films, dance videos, and everything in between.

Participants must adhere to specific guidelines: submissions must be minted on the Tezos blockchain before the exhibition, and artworks must be video or motion image creations accompanied by sound, with a maximum duration of 90 seconds. Approximately 20 artists will be selected to present their works, with each winner receiving an exhibition fee of 100 tez.

The curators behind this innovative initiative bring a wealth of experience and vision to the table. OBJKT is at the forefront of the revolution in the art world, connecting artists, collectors, and curators globally. Their mission is to democratize art, enabling artists to earn sustainable livelihoods through their art while fostering an open and inclusive community of creators. Through physical exhibitions and curated events, OBJKT aims to amplify the influence of its community and celebrate art in all its forms.

Meanwhile, XCOLLABZ acts as a unifying force for artists worldwide, facilitating collaboration and providing a platform to showcase talents in both traditional and digital art forms. Their meticulously curated collection features a diverse array of NFT artworks, offering immersive experiences for art enthusiasts.

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PHYGITAL MAG: ART | FASHION CULTURE | WEB3

"A poem is sometimes clear and colorful.

It can be sharp.

It can be oneiric.

Sometimes it is enigmatic and deep."

One of the most interesting and aesthetically beautiful projects on Fx(hash): Poema, an investigation of typography, without words, but full of movements, sound, echo, rhythm, and depth, bears the signature of the Brazilian multidisciplinary artist Marcelo Terça-Nada.

Words deconstructed into letters, which rush, walk, dance. And outputs that summarize the stanza written by the artist above: a rapture in the form of a color palette, colors that invite you to dive into every random variation of the code proposed by the artist. I see modernist concretism, I see Rothko.

And the names that inspire Marcelo in his visual poetry are not insignificant: in his last interview with Pixel Symphony, for Gazette, he enumerates from Artur Bispo do Rosario to Mallarmé, from Pagu to Hugo Ball, but the list goes on. It's worth reading the great conversation in full.

Each iteration of Poema features two crossroad possibilities, three types of reverberations, six types of luminescences, five color schemes, and fourteen palettes, which pay homage to the artists who inspire Marcelo. Almost all, in this case, are from Latin America.

This richness of intertexts and navigated seas of inspiration results in a masterful work. Not for nothing, in a few hours, Poema was successfully a complete sale, sold out.

But for those who, like me, for various reasons, couldn't mint their iteration, a relief: next Tuesday, April 16th, the reservation list time expires and the project will be available for new collections. Who knows, it might be my (or your) turn.

Follow the artist:

• Poema project page on Fx(hash): https://www.fxhash.xyz/generative/30726

• Artist's website (in Portuguese): https://marcelonada.redezero.org/

• Warpcast - https://warpcast.com/marcelonada

• Twitter - https://twitter.com/marcelonada

PHYGITAL MAG: ART | FASHION CULTURE | WEB3

Vector Festival, an avant-garde celebration of media arts, is set to captivate audiences once again as it returns in 2024 with an eclectic blend of digital games and creative media expressions.

Held in Toronto, Ontario, this community-driven initiative organized by InterAccess serves as a vital nexus between evolving digital landscapes and the new media art.

At the heart of the festival lies its flagship exhibition, "Too fragile to hold," curated by Miriam Arbus. This year's theme discusses the interconnected narratives of migrating species, weather phenomena, geopolitical dynamics, and the intricate web of algorithmic data processing.

Artists are encouraged to explore the cosmic and the mundane intersect, approaching the symbiotic relationships that bind our world together.

Scheduled from July 11 to 21, 2024, with exhibitions and site activations extending through August 10, Vector Festival beckons artists to submit their works for consideration.

Submissions, due by April 19th, are welcomed with the festival priding itself on its commitment to inclusivity and support for emerging talents.

It's worth noting that Vector Festival adopts a refreshing approach by refraining from charging submission fees or covering production expenses. Instead, selected artists will be compensated in line with CARFAC and IMAA fee schedules, supplemented by assistance in securing external funding.

This ethos underscores the festival's dedication to fostering a vibrant and equitable artistic community, where creativity thrives unencumbered by financial barriers.

Open applications: https://vectorfestival.org/

PHIGYTAL MAG: ART | FASHION CULTURE | WEB3

This event, inspired by the original OBJKT4OBJKT held in March 2021, aims to provide a platform for artists to mint and exchange their digital creations on various Tezos platforms, including Objkt, Teia, and Fx(hash).

Participation in #OBJKT4OBJKT is simple: artists are encouraged to mint their pieces — avoiding overminting — either as a large edition or Open Edition (OE). Prices range from free to a maximum of 1 Tezos. This accessible pricing model ensures that artists from diverse backgrounds can participate and share their work with the community.

The event organizers extend a warm invitation to artists from outside the Tezos community and other blockchain platforms, viewing #OBJKT4OBJKT as an opportunity for newcomers to explore the Tezos ecosystem. By promoting inclusion and collaboration, the event will unite artists from various backgrounds in a celebration of creativity.

#OBJKT4OBJKT traces back to the original event held in March 2021, a collaboration between DiverseNftArt and Hicetnunc. Co-founded by Amelie Maia and Tais Koshino, DiverseNftArt organized the event on Hicetnunc, a platform that ceased operations in November 2021. The inaugural OBJKT4OBJKT event encouraged artists to mint their OBJKTs (NFTs on Hicetnunc) for free, facilitating exchanges and promoting diversity within NFT collections.

The concept of OBJKT4OBJKT draws inspiration from zine festivals, where artists exchange their zines without monetary transactions, fostering personal and community connections. By removing the financial barrier, artists and collectors can freely explore and diversify their art collections.

Just as #OBJKT4OBJKT pays homage to its roots, it also forges new connections and experiences within the Tezos community. Three years after the original event, this edition promises to be a vibrant celebration of creativity and inclusion in the digital art space.

Let's come together and make this event a resounding success, honoring the spirit of community and collaboration that defines #OBJKT4OBJKT!

Phygital Mag: Art | Fashion Culture | Web3

Taking place from September 20th to 22nd, 2024, Earth Rising promises an unforgettable experience that seeks to provoke, inspire, and empower audiences to become agents of change.

The climate crisis represents one of the greatest challenges of our time, requiring collective efforts to mitigate its impacts and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come.

In its third year, Earth Rising has proven to be a transformative and impactful experience for participants and audiences alike, laying a foundation for continued engagement and positive change. Last year, they welcomed over 16,000 people to IMMA for Earth Rising. The expectation for 2024 is even bigger.

Art has always played a powerful role in reflecting and shaping society. In a rapidly changing world, IMMA is a space for dialogue and understanding, promoting social progress and cultural innovation in response to contemporary challenges.

Your proposal can be a new or existing work/project. The institution warns that this is primarily an outdoor event, where most works will be presented outdoors. So keep that in mind when making your proposal. Good luck!

How to make a proposal here: https://imma.ie/whats-on/earth-rising-2024/

PHYGITAL MAG - ART | FASHION CULTURE | WEB3

The artwork is programmed in p5.js and aesthetically produces variations of outputs that remind us of animal fur, both wild and domestic, in various shades and textures. As we start the process of creating the artwork, we notice the little hairs growing organically on the screen. "Different opacities and angles reveal that nature is simply a geometric construction," says the artist, who describes himself as self-taught on a Commodore 64 with BASIC.

"Each pelt is made using rows and columns of triangular shapes layered on top of each other," explains 6ixty. Pelts is also programmed to be completely scalable and capable of being printed in high resolution.

6ixty's proposal makes us reflect on the industries and "sports" that are based on cruelty to animals. "Pelts is a project born from my love of animals. Or more directly, my hatred of big game hunting, factory farming, and all other acts of animal cruelty, big or small from clodhoppers mauling their way through life without a thought of the destruction they leave in their wake."

The fashion industry has been constantly pressured for more sustainable actions and solutions. Currently, well-positioned brands in the market, such as Stella McCartney, have become a reference for not using fur or even animal leather, finding alternatives to showcase the beauty of nature in their pieces, without being at the cost of animal life. Prints based on generative art, like Pelts, for example, are even an excellent way to create a collection mimicking fauna, and uniquely and exclusively for each client.

FxHash is a place with great propositions from artists who create forms through computational code. Infinite iterations, as this type of process is called in which a sequence of instructions or actions is executed several times, are possible in this environment: the collector is part of the creation process, in a way, and uniquely finalizes their artwork.

For example, in a loop in programming languages ​​like Python, C ++, Java, among others, the instructions inside the loop are executed repeatedly until a termination condition is reached. Each execution of these instructions inside the loop is an iteration. Iterations are fundamental in algorithms and are widely used for processing data, performing complex calculations, and executing repetitive tasks efficiently. They are essential for automation and for solving computational problems.

Follow the artist: https://twitter.com/0x6ixty

Mint the artwork: https://www.fxhash.xyz/generative/28961

Phygital - Art | Fashion Culture | Web3

The New Technology Art Award welcomes participants of all ages and nationalities. Artists are invited to submit a single artwork created within the last two years, with a previous exhibition history.

The competition aims to showcase works that align with NTAa's mission. The international jury retains the discretion to exclude creations that exceed the practical limitations of the Liedts-Meesen Foundation.

Selected works will be displayed, with Zebrastraat offering basic equipment to chosen artists; any specific equipment required must be provided or rented by the artists for the duration of the exhibition.

English serves as the official language. There is no artist fee, and the organization covers transportation, accommodation, and installation expenses.

The selected projects will be announced in July 2024 on the website and featured in the New Technological Art 2025 exhibition.

So mark your calendars and make sure to submit your entries before the deadline on May 15th, 2024. Good luck!

More in: https://www.zebrastraat.be/nl/ntaa

Ryan Hermogenio, aged 25, hails from Rio de Janeiro and currently resides in Rio Comprido. Graduated in painting from the School of Fine Arts at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Ryan has in his curriculum, in the past, an important starting point for his current professional life: a degree in Game and Digital Entertainment, a course he started and completed between the ages of 15 and 17.

Presently, the artist is a master's student in Visual Arts with a research focus on Visual Languages, and he proposes to investigate the contaminations between contemporary painting and the play of technical images.

"The individual engaging with the device becomes not just a worker but a player."

"To maintain a distinct identity in my painting process, I often incorporate elements reminiscent of gameplay," he explains. His art can be seen as a playful exploration, blending traditional painting techniques with unconventional materials, often drawing inspiration from the color palette and aesthetics of digital games. Ryan also experiments with different support structures and the concept of simulacrum.

"I view the computer as more than just a tool; it's a medium for play and creativity. The individual engaging with the device becomes not just a worker but a player, embodying the concept of 'homo ludens' rather than 'homo faber'," he reflects.

The collection "BET: A Pintura no Jogo", present on the Objkt.com platform, is part of works by artists remaining from Hic et Nunc, and gathers pieces that resort to techniques such as collage and photography, always returning to the aesthetic universe of games. "Within the established creative method, I create rules for the game, which allows me to establish its identity," he says. According to the artist, however, during the game, these rules can change.

Ryan explores the border between painting and games, the way one influences the other, broadly speaking. The unmistakable Brazilian essence in his collection "BET: Painting in the Game" is striking. Not for nothing, two pieces were selected for the curatorial Terra Brasilis: A Digital Tapestry of Brazilian Imagination, also on Objkt.com, in 2024. "Loiro Pivete" (Blond Street Kid) and "Inimigos são Troféus" (Enemies Are Trophies) until the date of this publication, are still available for purchase in the primary market.

"For the simulacrum game to work on social networks, it was essential to use an image coming from reality. The photograph is taken in the physical space to then be appropriated by me in the digital environment," he summarizes. In this case, Ryan uses Adobe Photoshop software and internet mechanisms for the construction of these digital paintings.

In the works, the textures on the wall and the way the shadow is projected are not simulations, but reality. Putting the viewer in play at all times, Ryan leads them to the ecstasy of illusion.

Learn more about the artist:

Official Website

Objkt.com profile

Instagram