Artists have long used instructions and rule-based systems to produce their work, from thirteenth century Islamic geometric tiles to twentieth century avant-garde movements. Infinite Images: The Art of Algorithms reveals how some contemporary artists use mathematical principles, chance, and automation to design and work with generative systems. In generative art, the artist creates a system to produce the artwork—perhaps written instructions for others to follow or a computer program. In the process they give up some control over the end result. The artist creates the rules, and the system generates the outcomes. This approach, whether analog or digital, enables the artist to experiment with multiple variations within a set of defined constraints, often yielding unexpected results.
At a time when our world is increasingly shaped by algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI)-generated media, this exhibition takes us back to computer art’s beginnings in the 1960s and takes a closer look at the recent wave of generative art that has emerged over the last decade. Whether generated with simple algorithms rooted in fundamental mathematical functions or complex custom computer software, the digital artworks assembled here expose the foundational processes that underlie computer-generated imagery. Along the way, we explore what distinguishes computer-generated art from other media.
We hope this exhibition gives you an accessible entry point into understanding and appreciating the many ways artists use generative systems and how this process challenges long-held beliefs about creativity, authorship, craft, and the perceived superiority of the physical art object.
Infinite Images artists include Anni Albers, Josef Albers, Max Bill, Dmitri Cherniak, Sofia Crespo, Deafbeef, Entangled Others, Tyler Hobbs, Larva Labs, Sol LeWitt, Zach Lieberman, LoVid, William Mapan, Sarah Meyohas, Vera Molnar, Operator, Quayola, Sam Spratt, Snowfro, Casey Reas, Anna Ridler, Monica Rizzoli, Jared Tarbell, and Emily Xie.
Infinite Images: The Art of Algorithms is organized by the Toledo Museum of Art and curated by Julia Kaganskiy, an independent curator specializing in digital art and new media.
The exhibition design and visual identity for Infinite Images are led by Richard The and Studio TheGreenEyl.
