17–24 NOVEMBER 2024 | AI BIENNALE, ESSEN

REIMAGINE TOMORROW, 1954–2024


With contributions from Fellowship, Photo Edition Berlin (Berlin, Germany), Kate Vass (Zurich, Switzerland), Blueshift by Diane Drubay (Paris, France), Objkt.one, Office Impart (Berlin, Germany), MUD Gallery (Shanghai, China), KÖNIG GALERIE, and more.


With Kevin Abosch (Kate Vass), James Bloom, Sougwen Chung, Crosslucid, Boris Eldagsen, Amir Fattal (KÖNIG GALERIE), Aaron Huey, Krista Kim, Mario Klingemann, Emi Kusano, Jonas Lund (Office Impart), Jennifer & Kevin McCoy, Maria Mavropoulou (KÖNIG GALERIE), Margaret Murphy, Niceaunties (Fellowship), Skye Nicolas, Marcel Schwittlick, Anne Spalter, UBERMORGEN, aurèce vettier, Ziyang Wu, and more.

Herbert W. Franke, Hein Gravenhorst (Photo Edition Berlin), Claudia Hart, Hans Dehlinger, Harto, Heinrich Heidersberger, Gottfried Jäger (Photo Edition Berlin), Joachim Bosse, and more. 

Title image: Kevin Abosch, Inès, Synthetic Photography, 2024. 


17–24 November 2024
OPENING RECEPTION: 17 November | 11 AM CET – 6 PM CET
Artists will be present. 


Meybuschhof 13, Essen
Monday – Sunday: 11 AM - 8 PM CET

AI Biennale: AI as a Key to Transformation: Rethinking the Future


18-22 November 2024
Stiftung Zollverein und Digital Campus Zollverein

WILLIAM LATHAM | MIRROR CUBES

MAGAZINE

EXHIBITION

NICEAUNTIES

Sougwen 愫君 Chung is a Chinese-Canadian artist and researcher, widely considered a pioneer in the field of human-machine collaboration. She explores the marks made by hand and the marks made by machine as an approach to understanding the dynamics between humans and systems.

SOUGWEN CHUNG

CROSSLUCID

MARGARET MURPHY

JONAS LUND 

UBERMORGEN

MARIA MAVROPOULOU

BORIS ELDAGSEN

ZIYANG WU

WILLIAM LATHAM 

ANNE SPALTER

JENNIFER & KEVIN MCCOY

EMI KUSANO

HANS DEHLINGER

HEINRICH HEIDERSBERGER

CLAUDIA HART

ARTISTS

AMIR FATTAL

KRISTA KIM

SKYE NICOLAS

JOACHIM BOSSE

AARON HUEY

MARCEL SCHWITTLICK

Born in Spain in 1993, Harto embodies the convergence of different disciplines in his role as an artist and designer, weaving elements of the natural world, theatrical representation, and digital innovation into his work. His academic background in industrial design and prototyping, from which he graduated in 2016, provided a solid foundation for his artistic career.

HARTO

ARTIST

On the occasion of Gallery Weekend Berlin, EXPANDED.ART and Fellowship present Niceaunties first solo exhibition in Germany. In conversation with Anika Meier, Niceaunties discuss AI and storytelling, auntie culture and beauty treatments, and criticism of AI and how to deal with it. (Spoiler: don't deal with it!)

AI AND STORYTELLING

NICEAUNTIES: "ANYONE CAN BE AN AUNTIE"

ON POST-PHOTOGRAPHY

MARGARET MURPHY: RE-ROMANTICIZING THE ROAD TRIP

Boris Eldagsen is the artist who made headlines by turning down the prestigious Sony Photography World Award in 2023. In a world where AI sparks debates between haters and worshippers, Eldagsen offers a unique perspective that transcends the binary narrative. Rejecting the notion that AI is solely a threat to creativity, Eldagsen emphasizes the importance of human agency and expertise in harnessing AI as a tool for artistic expression. 

AI AND PROMPTOGRAPHY

BORIS ELDAGSEN: "THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF THE FUTURE IS WHAT AI LEAVES BEHIND"

The Swedish artist Jonas Lund has been concerned with the emergence of values and the distribution of power in the art market since 2012. He creates his works with the help of algorithms and viewers, who, for example, have voting rights in decisions affecting his art and career as owners of the JONAS LUND TOKEN (2018). He talks to Anika Meier about the emergence of values, changes in the art market, and the benefits of NFTs. And why do animals play an important role in his JONAS LUND TOKEN universe?

TOKEN ECONOMY AND VALUE

JONAS LUND: WHAT DOES BEING AN ARTIST MEAN?

lizvlx and Luzius Bernhard found each other in a basement in Vienna in 1994 and have started working together as an artist duo without clear responsibilities. They call themselves 'free floating radicals'. They are neither scared of being held responsible for their actions that challenge institutions and authorities, nor do they fear not being accepted by the art world. UBERMORGEN keep creating work for future audiences while the Internet around them changes at rapid speed. The Internet is changing, so their art is changing. From websites to NFTs, from cats to dicks.

In conversation with Anika Meier, UBERMORGEN discuss the beginning of their career, early net.art, fishers and rods, and the commodification of digital assets.

NET.ART AND VIDEO GAMES

UBERMORGEN: FREE FLOATING RADICALS

William Latham gained recognition as a pioneering figure in generative art with his MUTATOR evolutionary art, developed at IBM during the late 1980s and early 1990s. His creations, characterized by organic, frequently serpentine shapes, are generated using his unique "alternative evolutionary software system" (created in collaboration with Stephen Todd and their team). This software allows Latham to select and crossbreed 3D forms that transcend the boundaries of human imagination.

In conversation with Anika Meier and Noah Bolanowski, William Latham discusses his concept of the artist as a gardener and the influence of gardening on his art, organic and evolutionary art, and the past, present, and future of digital art and AI. 


EVOLUTIONARY ART AND MUTATOR AI

WILLIAM LATHAM: THE ARTIST AS A GARDENER

New York-based artist Ziyang Wu spends his time exploring the invisible forces of the virtual world. Data and algorithms ubiquitously micro-alienate and reconstruct humans in the highly globalized post-Internet society. In his practice, the artist uses Artificial Intelligence, user-based Internet algorithms, and episodic video to create cutting-edge NFTs. Ziyang Wu currently teaches at the School of Visual Arts and New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. He is a member of the Experiment on Art and Technology Track at NEW INC, New Museum.

Margaret Murphy, Head of Community, spoke with Ziyang Wu about his creative process with AI, the ever-looming presence of the algorithm, and what he looks forward to in the future of Web 3.0.

AI AND WEB 3.0

ZIYANG WU: INVESTIGATING THE ALGORITHM

Anne Spalter knows how to help herself. When she was looking for a book about the pioneers of early computer art, she couldn't find an in-depth publication, so she wrote it herself. It took her six years to finish the book. Spalter took the time to speak with artists like Herbert W. Franke, Frieder Nake, and Manfred Mohr. When she first heard about artists working with technology, she wasn't convinced; she thought computers were for science. Her initial reaction helps her understand the sometimes negative responses to artists working with the latest technologies. Spalters herself became an artist interested in creating art with new technologies; she is a pioneer in the field of AI and, together with Michael Spalter, stewards one of the world's largest private collections of early computer art. 

AI AND VALUES 

ANNE SPALTER: "CAN ART EXIST WITHOUT AN ARTIST?"

Emi Kusano’s first job was taking fashion photos in the streets of Tokyo. She has always known that she was meant to be an artist, but she didn’t think she could make a living from it. Besides photography, she found other ways to be creative, such as playing in the band Satellite Young. Emi dressed up as an 80s idol and sang about technology. When Emi started working with AI, she understood that knowledge and taste are reflected in art more profoundly than ever before. She imagines fictional pasts and futures inspired by Japanese Futurism and subcultures, advocating for a mindful engagement with the world around us.

In conversation with Anika Meier, Emi Kusano discusses retrofuturism and nostalgia, street photography and AI, mass media and social media, feminism, and the digital art market.

AI AND NOSTALGIA 

EMI KUSANO: FICTIONAL FUTURES AND COGNITIVE CHAOS

Skye Nicolas speaks to Anika Meier about music and nostalgia, digital art and pop culture.

NOSTALGIA AND PIXEL PAINTINGS

SKYE NICOLAS: LIVING IN A SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL

Dr. Susanne Päch is a journalist and media expert. She holds a PhD in the history of science as well as communication. Her husband was Herbert W. Franke. She manages his estate and art meets science – the Foundation Herbert W. Franke. 

In conversation with Anika Meier, Susanne Päch reflects on her time with Herbert W. Franke and discusses what makes his life's work still so relevant today. She also shares her work for the Foundation Herbert W. Franke, including the Generative Art Summit and publication projects such as THE ORCHID CAGE, and explains how art and communication have changed in the post-digital age.

GENERATIVE ART, SCIENCE FICTION AND SCIENCE

SUSANNE PÄCH ON HER LIFE WITH HERBERT W. FRANKE

Herbert W. Franke is a universal genius, you can say that with a clear conscience. For several decades he separated three lives: he was the caver and scientist, the artist and curator, the art theorist and the science fiction author. Only on the occasion his solo exhibition in 2010 at the ZKM Karlsruhe did he bring these three lives and careers together under the title "Wanderer Between the Worlds". In the early 1950s caving led him to experiment with light and technology. He kept his curiosity throughout his life; it was his drive to examine new technologies for their artistic potential. His pioneering spirit made him one of the first computer artists who was more than six decades ahead of his time. Franke discussed his visionary practice with Anika Meier in June 2022.

INTERVIEW WITH HERBERT W. FRANKE

"TECHNOLOGY IS NOT A THREAT TO ART"

Born in Spain in 1993, Harto embodies the convergence of different disciplines in his role as an artist and designer, weaving elements of the natural world, theatrical representation, and digital innovation into his work. His academic background in industrial design and prototyping, from which he graduated in 2016, provided a solid foundation for his artistic career.

In conversation with Anika Meier, Harto discusses his beginnings as an artist, working with code as a medium, plotter drawings and ordinals. 

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REIMAGINE TOMORROW, 1954–2024

17–24 NOVEMBER 2024 | AI BIENNALE, ESSEN