Joseph Nechvatal is an American artist/philosopher who creates virus-modeled artificial life computer-assisted paintings, audio art, and digital animations. Themes he has addressed in his art include the apocalyptic, immersion, cybersex, communication excess, the virus, and gender fluidity. In 1986, Nechvatal began using computer-robotics to make digital paintings on canvas. Some were exhibited at Documenta VIII in 1987. In 1992, as artist-in-residence in France at the Louis Pasteur Atelier in Arbois and Saline royale d’Arc-et-Senans, he created computer virus codes that he used as an artistic tool in his Computer Virus Project I series of pa…
Joseph Nechvatal is an American artist/philosopher who creates virus-modeled artificial life computer-assisted paintings, audio art, and digital animations. Themes he has addressed in his art include the apocalyptic, immersion, cybersex, communication excess, the virus, and gender fluidity. In 1986, Nechvatal began using computer-robotics to make digital paintings on canvas. Some were exhibited at Documenta VIII in 1987. In 1992, as artist-in-residence in France at the Louis Pasteur Atelier in Arbois and Saline royale d’Arc-et-Senans, he created computer virus codes that he used as an artistic tool in his Computer Virus Project I series of paintings. In 1999, he earned his Ph.D. in the philosophy of aesthetics and technology under Roy Ascott at CAiiA and soon wrote two art theory books: Towards an Immersive Intelligence and Immersion Into Noise. From 2002 on he has extended his experimentation into viral artificial life (artificial life is a subdivision of artificial intelligence) creating a number of series of virus-based themed exhibitions of artificial life paintings and digital animation projections that explore the fragility and fluidity of the human body.
