Shtonk Vtejuwoh Bonifac

Lacelove

Fingerprinting

Torn split

In this exhibition ‘Angles Morts’, LOHAUS SOMINSKY is showing new works by the artist Harm van den Dorpel in combination with works by Vera Molnár, who is known for her pioneering work in computer and generative art. The exhibition presents the result of an impressive exploration of Harm van den Dorpel's artistic engagement with the roots of generative art.

Since 2019, Harm van den Dorpel has dedicated himself to researching artists such as Anni Albers, Vera Molnár, Charlotte Posenenske and Tauba Auerbach, who are known for their work with two-dimensional grid patterns. This research is part of his endeavour to explore his own roots in generative art and to identify his influences.

It should be noted that the artists listed are all women. In his research, Van den Dorpel recognises a dominance of female artists in the field of generative art. He considers a historical connection between the systematic arrangement of recurring elements in grid patterns and the craft of weaving, an activity traditionally dominated by women.

In his work, the artist explores the complexity of works by female artists such as Anni Albers. While it would have been technically easy to programme an algorithm that replicated her triangle patterns, it turned out that randomly placing the triangles did not achieve the desired aesthetic effect. Van den Dorpel realised that Albers must have formulated clear rules in her head, which she applied algorithmically to each cell of the grid. This realisation led to a deep respect for the invisible structures and thought processes hidden in the works of Albers and other female generative artists.

Unlike Albers, Vera Molnár worked with computer technology, but it was very limited, had no screens and provided only simple outputs that she had to manually translate into physical objects. These processes were labour intensive and resulted in small imperfections, which Van den Dorpel particularly appreciates.
Van den Dorpel uses modern algorithms and a plotter to imitate and further develop the aesthetics and methodology of his role models. A plotter is a specialised printer that creates precise technical drawings and graphics by moving pens or markers across the paper on an X-Y axis. Unlike conventional printers, which apply ink in lines from top to bottom, the plotter draws lines in different directions. This process gives the work an organic quality that goes beyond the precision of digital prints. The plotter draws lines in all directions and through the slow, mechanical movement creates unique and unrepeatable results that bring a human unpredictability to the digital works.

His interest in the methods of these artists led van den Dorpel to question and optimise his own processes. Despite his technological tools, he seeks a connection to the artisanal and intellectual approaches of his predecessors. The exhibition ‘Angles Morts’ offers a deep insight into these complex interactions between historical influences and modern technologies.

A recurring theme in van den Dorpel's practice is the instability of the digital medium, where any specific idea or form of expression is difficult to grasp. This instability avoids a fixed, definitive statement and emphasises an open system. Reflecting on the historical role of women in computational art and their often overlooked contributions, van den Dorpel honours the rigorous and visionary work of these pioneers.

[More info...](https://lohaussominsky.com/exhibitions/angles-morts)

Angles Morts

Death Imitates Language online genealogy

Hybrid Vigor .bio

Umbilical Dramatoxin

Bloated Taunt

Defenseless Qualm

Unheard Estimator

Audit Myth Buzz

Bemused Aversatility

Unscripted Relinings

Eponymous Seedling

Algues Artificielles

Dechayotic

Adoreway

Availablesky

Frouters

Bluena

During the summer of 2016, I spent a few weeks with my family by sea in Bretagne, France. During these times when one is expected to relax and not work, somehow ideas come more freely. I liked how the seaweed and jellyfish washed ashore and formed shapes and compositions which were always different, but, also, somehow always the same.

I tried to programme a simple piece of computer code to simulate these smooth, round curves. The effects were surprisingly satisfying. Somehow, my shapes reminded me of the sculptural works of Hans Arp.
Instead of randomly generating those shapes, which was quickly becoming a bit boring, I tried to define a mechanism by which I could influence the outcome. I was wondering what would be the ‘most interesting’ composition. Could a process of feedback between me and the software be considered a kind of dialectic?

I devised a system in which the drawings - consisting of multiple lines and shapes - would evolve and improve over time. In many iterations, the system would give me a generation of works; each time I would pick two from which more ‘children’ would be bred. Because the breeding always happens between ‘siblings’ - a sort of mechanical incest - the diversity would gradually converge.

Technically (or biologically?), all properties of a drawing (angles, smoothness, shape, colour, transparency, scale, position, etc.) are stored in a long sequence of 0s and 1s: a digital genome. These genomes hermetically define the appearance (or phenotype) of each work (or specimen).

When two people (or, in this case, two drawings) are selected and mate, both of their chromosomes are aligned, and ad-random genes are selected from either parent (crossover). From this game of recombination, both iterative and diverse offspring emerge.

The process of selecting candidates for breeding, examining the results, and using those results to further breed to eliminate or emphasise particular traits in animals and flowers is called 'hybrid vigour'.  My website, 'Hybrid Vigor’, is publicly accessible to crowd-source this process in an evolutionarily selective way, using the internet visitor as the fitness function.

From the Algues Artificielles series
2017 – 2022

By Harm van den Dorpel

Thursday, April 11 2019, 13:40:18

Friday, April 26 2019, 00:50:27

Thursday, April 25 2019, 23:56:57

Degrees of Disruption

*Degrees of Disruption: Vera Molnár and Generative Art* brings together over 50 works by Vera Molnár (1924–2023) and contemporary practitioners at the V&A in London. The display traces how Molnár's early work with computers and algorithmic thinking continues to resonate in digital art today, with work by Harm van den Dorpel, Casey Reas, Licia He and William Mapan.

Van den Dorpel is represented by the prints *Bluena* and *Availablesky* (2016) and by the generative artwork *Algues Artificielles*, running on a screen.

16 October 2026 – 30 May 2027, Rooms 88A & 90, V&A South Kensington, Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL. Free entry.

<a href='https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/degrees-of-disruption-vera-molnar-and-generative-art' target='_blank'>On the V&A website</a>

Degrees of Disruption: Vera Molnár and Generative Art

Wer nicht denken will

Group exhibition with work by Olga Balema, Alice Channer, Thea Djordjadze, Harm van den Dorpel, Krištof Kintera, Martin Kippenberger, Hito Steyerl, Barthélémy Toguo and Erwin Wurm. Curated by Heinrich Dietz and Harald Kunde.

Presented are 6 wall pieces, multi layered UV prints with white channel between CNC-cut plexiglass, packing material, screw system, unique editions, each 100×100×4cm, and an animated software work, showing the entire genealogy. 

Wer nicht denken will, fliegt raus

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