Programmed Expressionism , Manfred Mohr, Vera Molnar, Georg Nees, Frieder Nake, Harold Cohen, Mark Wilson, Casey Reas
Programmed Expressionism presented by Nguyen Wahed Gallery and DAM Projects
21 - 27 November 2024 7 Kensington Mall, London W8 4EB
Opening Reception: Thursday 21 November 6:30 - 9 PM Opening Hours: Friday - Wednesday 22 - 27 November 12 - 6 PM
Finissage: Wednesday 27 November 6 - 9 PM | Plotter Performance Preview of Bantam Tools ArtFrame Art Machine System (developed for the Harold Cohen: AARON at the Whitney Museum of American Art)
Join us on Thursday 21 November, 6:30 - 9 PM, for an opening reception of the group exhibition Programmed Expressionism.
Friday 22 November - Wednesday 27 November, daily from 12 - 6 PM or by appointment. Mimi Nguyen and Wolf Lieser will be present.
Manfred Mohr, Vera Molnar, Georg Nees, Frieder Nake, Harold Cohen, Mark Wilson, and Casey Reas.
Coinciding with the month of the group exhibition Electric Dreams, at Tate Modern, the show presents a focused examination of key figures who shaped the field of computer-generated art in the latter half of the 20th century. Through a curated selection of seminal works, Programmed Expressionism features artists, spanning from the 1960s to the present, who have been instrumental in establishing computational processes as a means of artistic creation and inquiry.
The term "programmed expressionism," dubbed by Manfred Mohr, serves as a conceptual framework for the exhibition. It encapsulates the tension between algorithmic precision and artistic expression that characterises much of the work on display. In an interview for the Guardian, Mohr's assertion that "The most important part of art is innovation" underscores the pioneering spirit of these artists, each of whom has expanded the boundaries of artistic practice through technological means.
Tracing the evolution of computer art from early plotter drawings to complex generative systems, the exhibition highlights how these artists have interrogated notions of authorship, aesthetics, and the nature of creativity itself. Their work raises profound questions about the role of the artist in an age of automation and the potential for machines to generate aesthetic experiences.
Installation view
Works
