Digital art

A reflection on the transformative power of data in art.

Dataism is an artistic practice that acknowledges how data has become humanity’s principal means of understanding nature, characterizing social processes, developing new technologies, and, increasingly, probing what makes us human. This way of making art is fueled by the conviction that art cannot escape, ignore, or bypass data if it wishes to remain relevant to the post-visual processes that shape our society. 

What is the value of an original Leonardo Da Vinci masterwork? What about a “Leonardo” whose authenticity is disputed? And what if the work is also languishing in a Swiss vault, inaccessible to experts and the public, and the item on sale is actually a digital copy that has been purchased online and beamed onto a holographic screen encased in expensive crystal? Does it have any value at all?

Digital artist TDRAW used an AI art generator app to create a post-apocalyptic work of art made up of nine canvases.

Digital artist TDRAW specializes in artificial intelligence-generated art that explores fantastical worlds. One of his recently completed pieces depicts a cityscape from science fiction in nine different parts which, when put together, reveals another work of art: a silhouette resembling the portrait of the Mona Lisa.

Being an artist in today’s increasingly digital world is full of amazing opportunities. You can reach out to a wider audience around the world easily.

But at the same time, the internet and web 3 have also increased the risks of copyright infringements. It takes just a few buttons to copy an image from social media or a website and use it for commercial purposes. If you are not careful, someone else can copy months of your hard work and use it for their personal profits. 

The abbreviation of ‘non-fungible token’ tops a shortlist also including pingdemic, climate anxiety and metaverse

In a year that has seen the musician Grimes sell a collection of digital artworks for almost $6m (£4.4m), and the original photo behind the 2005 Disaster Girl meme go for $473,000 (£354,000), Collins Dictionary has made NFT its word of the year.