Little Ability by Espen Kluge

“In this colorful series, Espen Kluge reinvents modern portraiture and defies the idea that data and technology cannot be poetic. Straight lines becomes soft like skin and red lips come out of data sets. This series is iconic to me in the history of the collaboration between artists and generative technology.“

What I love about this work

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ARTWORK DETAILS

Artist Name: Espen Kluge

Artwork Title: Little Ability (from the Alternatives series)

Series Size: 1/1 (with associated physical print)

Creation Date: June 24, 2020

Genre: Generative Art

Description: This is a series of generative portraits created in JavaScript. The algorithm draws vectors based on data collected from photographs sourced online and creates abstracted portraits that tells stories alternative to their origins. 

Curatorial Text from Kate Vass Galerie: From the prehistoric skulls covered in plaster to the modern-day selfie, portraits have always been among the most important forms of visual art. Evolution has trained us to read the nuances of human facial expression with a higher degree of sensitivity than any other visual input, and for good reason. From finding a mate to sensing a foe, our ability to read subtle facial expressions is critical to navigating many of the most important and meaningful aspects of life.

Our supercharged sensitivity to these facial signals creates a playground for portrait artists like Espen Kluge who can combine, bend, exaggerate, and break these signals to manipulate us and make us feel with heightened intensity. 

Kluge’s portraits feel monumental and architectural, reminding us of the sculptures of the Russian constructivists like Naum Gabo and Vladimer Tatlin. But in contrast to the somber character of the Constructivists, Kluge’s work explodes with a rainbow of color and emotion. Though the details of their expressions are abstracted into masses of colorful geometric threads, Kluge’s portraits display the full range of the human condition. This is especially remarkable when you consider that Kluge is working in the genre of generative art, often criticized for being cold, geometric, and esoteric. Kluge gives generative art a new direction with work that is warm, universally approachable, and equally accessible to both the heart and the mind. 

Platform: Superrare

Blockchain: Ethereum

Link to the NFT: https://superrare.co/artwork-v2/little-ability-11337

Exhibitions: 

• Oct 17, 2022-Dec 21, 2022: "DEAR MACHINE, PAINT FOR ME" - Group show at Kate Vass Galerie, Zurich, Switzerland (Espen Kluge has created a new generative series called Lyrical Convergence that derives its data from Alternatives. The original "Alternatives" works were displayed alongside the new series - https://lyricalconvergence.art/)
  

• Oct 30, 2019-Feb 25, 2020:  “Alternatives, Generative Portrait Series” - Solo show by Espen Kluge at Kate Vass Galerie, Zurich, Switzerland

Links:

1. Official website of the Alternatives series: https://alternatives.art/

2. Artist Website: https://www.espen.xyz/

3. Profile of the artist by Kate Vass Galerie: https://www.katevassgalerie.com/espen-kluge

4. Artnome article on the Alternatives series: https://www.artnome.com/news/2019/7/24/generative-portraiture-of-espen-kluge

5. Interview on Superrare: https://superrare.com/magazine/2020/09/05/kvg-exclusive-interview-with-espen-kluge/

Media:

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