The hottest Digital Art Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Art & Illustration Topics
Cybernetic Forests 19 implied HN points 13 Feb 22
  1. Memories and data are distinct - photographs capture data, while memories hold fragments of experiences.
  2. Technology can transform memories into new data - a machine can create new pictures from a collection of images.
  3. Generative images challenge the concept of memory - creating variations that may not accurately reflect the original experience.
Cybernetic Forests 19 implied HN points 18 Apr 21
  1. Artists are experimenting with digital contracts and smart contracts in art projects like Terra0 and Plantoid, exploring new forms of economic units and self-evolving sculptures.
  2. Cryptocurrencies like Trust/Risk challenge traditional financial systems by creating decentralized charitable networks where money is burned into the price of a currency and used for communal support.
  3. The rise of cryptocurrencies like Dogecoin demonstrates a shift towards digital rituals and communal investments, rather than traditional monetary transactions, with a focus on speculative value and community engagement.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:
Autodidact Obsessions 0 implied HN points 10 Feb 24
  1. Programs output more than what is programmed into them, showcasing the complexity of perceived AI and the limitations of existing frameworks.
  2. Incremental tinkering with existing algorithmic frameworks may be insufficient, leading to the need for radical changes.
  3. Glamorizing conversations with comic depictions can offer a fresh perspective on complex topics like AI and algorithms.
Joshua Gans' Newsletter 0 implied HN points 07 Sep 23
  1. Copyright protection for AI-generated works is a complex issue that raises questions about authorship, ownership, and the role of AI in the creative process.
  2. The distinction between human creativity and AI technology is blurred in digital works like music, photography, and writing, where AI tools play a significant role.
  3. Determining authorship of AI-generated works involves considering the fine line between human input in guiding AI creations and the independent creative ability of machines.
Links I Would Gchat You If We Were Friends 0 implied HN points 01 Dec 14
  1. Winter holidays kick off with a surge in online shopping, despite potential misleading deals.
  2. The White House decorated digitally, Bitcoin enthusiasts hacked Disney World, and film retouching exposes Hollywood secrets.
  3. Online connections may not replace real connections; varied news blurbs introduce quirky topics from private jets for pets to left-handedness.
Cybernetic Forests 0 implied HN points 05 Feb 23
  1. The Latent Space Art Academy offers a course on AI images, delving into data ethics and media studies through histories of computation and art.
  2. The course includes guest lectures, exploring topics like cybernetics, art, AI-generated knitting patterns, and the societal impacts of AI technologies.
  3. By focusing on making images with AI, the course aims to help students understand how AI works, its cultural context, and how it can redefine our relationship with technology.
Cybernetic Forests 0 implied HN points 11 Dec 22
  1. Bani Haykal's work explores human-machine intimacies through interfaces, poetry, and sound, using a mechanical keyboard to encrypt text into languages like Jawi and MIDI values, creating encoded poetry and sound work.
  2. The encryption process in Bani's work is influenced by historical instances like the crypto-Muslim practice during the Spanish Inquisition, showcasing how encryption embodies privacy and secrecy in different cultures.
  3. Bani's exploration of intimacy with devices like mechanical keyboards goes beyond physical proximity to consider transformation and blending, reflecting on how human-machine relationships impact us and our environments.
Cybernetic Forests 0 implied HN points 16 May 21
  1. Design and architecture of online platforms can either promote harmful behavior or facilitate positive interactions. The same space used for innocent activities can also be exploited for dangerous agendas.
  2. Art can serve as a powerful medium to confront challenging topics and spark important conversations. It allows for direct engagement with uncomfortable realities and prompts reflection.
  3. Creating friction and discomfort through art can provoke critical thinking and awareness about social issues. By presenting overwhelming content, it emphasizes the need to address harmful elements present on mainstream online platforms.
Cybernetic Forests 0 implied HN points 01 Mar 21
  1. Photogrammetry captures details of surfaces and objects without physical contact, creating digital models.
  2. Photogrammetry's history stems from a young architect's idea to use film cameras to measure buildings.
  3. Using photogrammetry, thousands of images can be stitched together to recreate lost architectural wonders or create digital maps.
Do Not Research 0 implied HN points 19 Oct 23
  1. America is depicted in various ways in art and culture, showcasing the complexity and diversity of the country's landscapes and people.
  2. Interfaces for Dead Dreams is a collection of digital sculptures representing an evolving America, blending old architectural elements with modern digital techniques.
  3. The sculptures in the series highlight the changing priorities of American capitalism, shifting from beauty and longevity to efficiency and cost cutting, reflecting the eras they represent.
Do Not Research 0 implied HN points 16 Oct 22
  1. A key theme discussed is the exploration of lost truth and memory in the protagonist's search for meaning in Jon Rafman's film _Punctured Sky_.
  2. Rafman highlights the importance of constructed narratives in understanding self-identity and consciousness, especially in a world where reality and history are increasingly complex and fragmented.
  3. The conversation touches on the significance of using free apps and hacks to create art in a way that embraces playfulness and transparency in showcasing the process of image splicing and storytelling.
Do Not Research 0 implied HN points 16 Oct 22
  1. Eternal Engine explores themes like xeno-, glitch-, and cyberfeminism through visual art and technology, challenging mainstream narratives.
  2. The artists aim to create alternate realities by collaborating with AI and emphasizing emancipation and queering over surveillance and binary oppositions.
  3. The exhibition 'Enter The Chamber' offers a safe space for free-living algorithms, pushing against capitalist dystopia, and embracing fluidity and queer identities.
Do Not Research 0 implied HN points 16 Oct 22
  1. The exhibition showcases jacquard woven tapestries inspired by the Apocalypse Tapestry from the 14th Century, merging biblical allegories with internet culture and contemporary image production.
  2. The artworks in the exhibition blend traditional artistic techniques with modern internet imagery, creating a bridge between historical tapestry production and current computational logic.
  3. The pieces in the collection draw on a variety of sources, including 3D print repositories, internet memes, and religious iconography, reflecting a fusion of technology, mythology, and cultural critique.
Do Not Research 0 implied HN points 16 Oct 22
  1. Postmodern design took over as modernist design fell out of favor, leading to a trend of self-aware irony and pastiche in contemporary aesthetics.
  2. Celebrity fast-food partnerships sparked by Travis Scott's McDonald's meal paved the way for deals like Lil Huddy's with Burger King, creating intriguing speculation around his and Charli D'Amelio's relationship.
  3. Shipping mishaps like damaged packages of unique products can lead to unexpected experiences, like receiving dented and leaking Flaming Hot Mountain Dew E-Liquids.
Do Not Research 0 implied HN points 15 Oct 22
  1. The artwork 'Landforms' is an oil painting that depicts a geographical diagram of landforms on a continent, created by merging images from Instagram and Google.
  2. This piece by Alex Both explores capturing attention in a visually busy culture by combining memes and personal photos to form a coherent image.
  3. The artist's process involved using Photoshop to blend and paint various images together in a way that reflects the visual information sharing prevalent in social media.
Do Not Research 0 implied HN points 15 Oct 22
  1. Videos _HOLLOW_ and _BLACKHOLE_ are a pair - the first explores death and the infinite, the second questions birth and the repetition of meaning.
  2. The content in the videos is drawn from dark corners of the internet like conspiracy theories and chat room archives, exploring how the digital world both connects and alienates us from reality.
  3. Characters in the videos, like the photogrammetry scan of a tombstone and anthropomorphized ASMR video, examine their digital environment and challenge the reality vs. virtuality divide.
Do Not Research 0 implied HN points 15 Oct 22
  1. Video essays on YouTube by ex-academics creatively convey complex topics in a culturally relevant way.
  2. Art is Everything aims to bring attention to contemporary arts discourse and challenges the traditional art world format.
  3. The series explores the relevance of art in a world that has systematically devalued it and emphasizes a more collective and empathetic approach to art and its perception.
Do Not Research 0 implied HN points 15 Oct 22
  1. The post discusses a futuristic concept of a 'Final Culture War Veteran' in the year 2081, integrating elements like glass, steel, electrical cables, crystal diodes, and LED displays.
  2. There is mention of a virtual reality experience where users can interact with a simulated NFT veteran by redeeming a commemorative gift shop exclusive key.
  3. An intriguing blend of technology and art is showcased, depicting a unique and innovative approach to cultural expression and historical engagement.
Do Not Research 0 implied HN points 15 Oct 22
  1. Kayla Drzewicki explores the potential of virtual spaces and objects to be performative, focusing on hierarchical relationships within digital environments.
  2. She examines the blurring of relationships like user-programmer, screensaver-video, and fine art-non-art, to create new media and net art works.
  3. Drzewicki uses simple software as a foundation for her performances, emphasizing accessibility and inclusivity in her art.
Do Not Research 0 implied HN points 23 Apr 22
  1. The first IRL exhibition of work by the Do Not Research community opened on April 23, 2022 at lower_cavity in Western Massachusetts, showcasing art that challenges traditional spaces and explores counter-hegemonic narratives.
  2. Artists in the exhibition presented work that navigates complex topics like conspiracy theories, digital information systems, and the impact of internet culture on art creation.
  3. The exhibition at lower_cavity featured a diverse range of artworks that delved into speculative objects, over-hyphenated future concepts, and a blend of digital and physical representations of historical and political events.
Do Not Research 0 implied HN points 15 Feb 22
  1. The artwork 'Cobwebs Spun Back & Forth In The Sky' is a montage of videos gathered from social media platforms and set to music from a film.
  2. The artist compiled the videos not purposely, but by liking them on various social media networks, inadvertently creating an archive of their online experiences.
  3. The piece serves as a representation of the artist's online life and the broader internet landscape, revealing how users interpret and create meaning from the content they encounter.
Do Not Research 0 implied HN points 15 Feb 22
  1. The rise of digital utopianism led to a belief that museums could be replaced by digital databases, but the implications and consequences of such a shift must be carefully considered.
  2. There is a concern that the push to digitize museums with AI, machine learning, and software interactions may not actually democratize the field, but rather empower tech companies at the expense of the museum's autonomy and role in art historical discourse.
  3. Questioning the need to 'datafy' museums highlights a larger trend of tech solutionism and the potentially negative impact of trying to make museum information utilitarian for platform capitalist corporations rather than prioritizing art history and the institution itself.
Do Not Research 0 implied HN points 15 Feb 22
  1. An artist created a digital art piece featuring 3D scans of cultural objects from different sources like historical art, public app uploads, and everyday items.
  2. The digital art piece includes a mix of spiritually driven objects, kitsch toys, and everyday items such as a toothbrush and wallet.
  3. The background of the art piece is a video of a 13th-century painting of a space shuttle launch, accompanied by Britney Spears' song Everytime.
Do Not Research 0 implied HN points 15 Feb 22
  1. Max Dauven is a photographer from Cologne, Germany, who recently graduated from the Academy of Media Arts.
  2. In his diploma project, Dauven explored the visual aspects of memes through a photographic lens, connecting analog/digital photography with internet meme practices.
  3. Dauven's approach involved arranging and photographing key meme fragments as sculptures in a photo studio, minimally digitally processed to preserve their essence and showcased as art pieces.
Do Not Research 0 implied HN points 15 Feb 22
  1. The artwork created by Paige K B in 2021 included a seven-foot-tall digital print on vinyl and two smaller drawings with a predominant color of yellow, referencing political imagery like the Gadsden flag.
  2. Paige K B's work aimed to offer a facetious take on significant events like the Capitol riots, combining humor with elements of tragedy and personal experiences with art institutions.
  3. The artwork by Paige K B incorporated intricate details, textures, and symbols such as the crane, bridging connections between internet memes, historical references, and future technological developments.
Do Not Research 0 implied HN points 15 Sep 21
  1. Sketchbook consists of eight vertical video art pieces capturing spiritual desires and radical political demands for a postcapitalist future.
  2. The works in Sketchbook were originally presented as Instagram stories and serve as digital inspiration for promotional purposes.
  3. The series includes a mix of artwork and promotional content for DoNotResearch.net or the artist's physical exhibitions.
Do Not Research 0 implied HN points 15 Sep 21
  1. The project 'Can't Delete Later' showcases a collection of oil paintings exploring the power of images and media as an archive.
  2. The focus is on the shift from individuality to collectivity in cultural preference, leading to a new way of perceiving online behaviors and their impact beyond the digital realm.
  3. Through 'devirtualization,' the project merges digital culture with physical reality, offering a holistic and un-deletable portrait of both no one and everyone.
Do Not Research 0 implied HN points 15 Sep 21
  1. The post features an animated video with deepfake technology and a generated podcast discussing a new Ghostbusters villain called Muncher.
  2. It explores how digital distractions from screens and parasocial podcasts affect the daily commute to a job, leaving lingering thoughts and ideas.
  3. The artwork incorporates images of a cornfield outside the artist's apartment and Google Maps visuals of the daily highway drive, set to background music by holly.plus.
Do Not Research 0 implied HN points 20 Apr 21
  1. David Noel is exploring an emergent warrior culture with a focus on firearms and tactical equipment through a visual narrative.
  2. He has been collecting thousands of images from online spaces to share on social media since 2018.
  3. The video 'UtopiaExit.mov' is a key part of his re-presentation of these images based on his experiences as a veteran and online gun community participant.
Erik Explores 0 implied HN points 18 Apr 23
  1. To excel in AI art, mastering traditional color models like RGB, CMYK, and HSL is crucial.
  2. Adjusting colors optimally involves steps like tweaking brightness, contrast, hue, saturation, and luminosity.
  3. Different color adjustment layers like Color Balance, HSL, and Selective Color serve specific purposes in photo editing and AI art.