‘Notes From the Ether: From NFTs to AI’ at ArtScience Museum
Deborah Lim and Clara Peh on the state of digital art
By Faisal Mujaddid
Having worked in the emerging technology sector for some time, I have come to appreciate its inherent charm that intrigues not only those actively engaged in the field–investors, entrepreneurs, and experts–but also those who are simply curious about the latest developments in the field. Blockchain and AI's allure, in particular, lies in their potential to reshape the way we interact with the world and each other. It is this transformative promise that is at the heart of the exhibition, 'Notes From the Ether: From NFTs to AI,' at the ArtScience Museum in Singapore.
Rimbawan Gerilya, ‘Solitary Grave I’ (still), 2022, MP4 video with sound. Image courtesy of the artist.
Deborah Lim, Curator at ArtScience Museum, and Clara Che Wei Peh, independent curator and founder of NFT Asia worked together on 'Notes From the Ether: From NFTs to AI', bringing together 20 artists, including international artists like Simon Denny, Holly Herndon, Rhea Myers, Jonas Lund, and Memo Akten alongside Southeast Asian artists jo+kapi, Emily Xie, and Rimbawan Gerilya. The exhibition showcases the artists' works across seven uniquely themed galleries, each delving into a distinct branch of the NFT and AI landscape.
‘Notes From the Ether’ was curated as a rapid-response exhibition, which is a method used to address recent or ongoing trends, topics, or social concerns. "This would allow us to actively be part of the ongoing dialogue and unresolved perspectives surrounding both NFTs and AI,” says Deborah. As compared to the two to three years usually taken to prepare for exhibitions, the show came together in six months.
‘Within Without’ by Aaron Penne and ‘Protoglyph and Autoglyphs Series’ by Larva Labs, exhibition view. Image courtesy of Marina Bay Sands.
The exhibition may initially sound too technically complex to the general audience. However, 'Notes From the Ether' can serve as a decent primer for those who are newly acquainted with NFTs and AI. Clara says, "While many of these works are technologically complex, they address universal ideas and themes of connection, collaboration, and identity.” To aid the audience's understanding, there is a demystifying glossary of some of the key terms which can be found in the first gallery. For instance, Non-Fungible Token (NFT) is defined as "a unique digital asset on the blockchain that can represent the ownership of digital artworks, media, and more". This broad definition helps the audience to understand that while the popularity of NFTs was propelled by its use to represent and authenticate artworks, its utility extends well beyond that. Complex terms such as “null address” and “minting” are explained in plain language. Armed with these definitions, the visitor can continue their learning about the artworks in the rest of the galleries.
‘Notes from the Ether’ charts the development of computer art, beginning with its basic building blocks in code. The first gallery looks at how artists such as Aaron Penne and DEADBEEF have worked with systems and software to create new possibilities in computer language. The exhibition then continues this thread of co-creation with the machine, with the introduction of AI and blockchain technology.
jo + kapi, ‘ENZYME 1.2’, 2023, exhibition view in ‘Notes from the Ether’. Image courtesy of Marina Bay Sands.
'ENZYME 1.2' by jo + kapi provides a first-hand opportunity to mint an NFT. When visitors scan a QR code, they can choose and "purchase" a single AI-generated artwork. Subsequently, a pixel will emerge, blurring the image on the screen until the artwork gradually becomes obscured. "This is a reminder that digital art does not, in fact, last forever," says Deborah. The process exaggerates and makes visible a usually invisible process of the degrading of digital information and data, which happens each time a file is transferred.
For some, NFTs are more than collectibles. They also view the format as an investment tool. In response to the adjustment to royalty terms at OpenSea, a leading NFT marketplace, Deborah explains that the intention was to position the exhibition through the lens of the artists. Hence its focus was not to serve as a commentary on the NFT market but rather to showcase the diverse considerations of artists who are working with these technologies in their practices. Themes in the exhibition such as “Coded Possibilities”, “Co-Creation” and “Expanded Self” are meant to serve as guidelines for visitors to come to their own conclusions about these technologies and their impact on our world.
Emily Xie, ‘Memories of Qilin #714', 2022. Image courtesy of the artist.
Emily Xie, ‘Memories of Qilin #809’, 2022. Image courtesy of the artist.
Building from some of Clara's previous curatorial projects, including Proof of Concept and Generating/Iterating, 'Notes From the Ether' re-presents some of the limited-run works. Emily Xie's 'Memories of Qilin' is among the works presented again. As a generative artist and software engineer, Emily uses algorithms to generate graphics, patterns, and forms. The series explores facets of folklore, conjuring mythical visuals reminiscent of dragons, phoenixes, hills, and mountains. Through her work, she oscillates between the organic and the structured, building on tradition while tapping on new capabilities.
Exhibition view of works by Holly Herndon in the ‘Expanded Self’ section of ‘Notes from the Ether’. Image courtesy of Marina Bay Sands.
NFTs and AI have produced fresh trends within the art world, creating ripples that are best tracked in a rapid-response setting. It reminds us that art, like technology, is constantly evolving, and 'Notes From the Ether' serves as a window into the exciting possibilities that lie ahead. "The advent of NFTs has brought forward new ways of authenticating and distributing digital media, and the market around it has also led many of us to value digital art in a new light," says Clara. As the founder of NFT Asia, a web3 artist collective, Clara has been engaged with NFTs and AI since 2021. She is confident that they have already created new waves in the art world. "For years, the artists featured in ‘Notes From the Ether’ such as Memo Akten, Mario Klingemann (with Botto), Holly Herndon and Mathew Dryhurst, have been engaging with AI and the possibilities it brings to arts and culture," Clara adds. "I believe these are all dynamics and emergences that will increasingly challenge the art world as we know it, but perhaps it is still too soon to say exactly in which direction we will move towards."
‘Notes from the Ether: From NFTs to AI’ runs from 19 August to 24 September 2023 at ArtScience Museum, Singapore.
About the Writer
Faisal Mujaddid is a seasoned writer and emerging tech professional based in Jakarta, with contributions featured on platforms such as Tech in Asia, DailySocial, and Muara. He is particularly interested in the art business and the dynamics of art collecting and patronage
Faisal was a participant in the second A&M Education | Art Journalism 101 course.
