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Joseph Nechvatal (born January 15, 1951) is an American
post-conceptual Post-conceptual, postconceptual, post-conceptualism or postconceptualism is an art theory that builds upon the legacy of conceptual art in contemporary art, where the concept(s) or idea(s) involved in the work takes some precedence over traditional ...
digital artist Digital art refers to any artistic work or practice that uses digital technology as part of the creative or presentation process, or more specifically computational art that uses and engages with digital media. Since the 1960s, various names ...
and art theoretician who creates computer-assisted paintings and
computer animation Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes ( still images) and dynamic images ( moving images), while computer animation re ...
s, often using custom-created
computer virus A computer virus is a type of computer program that, when executed, replicates itself by modifying other computer programs and inserting its own code. If this replication succeeds, the affected areas are then said to be "infected" with a comput ...
es.


Life and work

Joseph Nechvatal was born in
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
. He studied fine art and philosophy at Southern Illinois University Carbondale,
Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...
and
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
. He earned a
Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
in
Philosophy of Art Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed th ...
and Technology at the Planetary Collegium at University of Wales, Newport
KM Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe KM, Km, or km may stand for: Postnominal *Knight of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, a chivalric order Businesses *KM Group, a multimedia group based in Kent *Kennis Music, a record label *Kia Motors, an automobile manufacturer *Kmart (for ...
lecture page ''Joseph Nechvatal: Immersion Into Noise''
and has taught art theory and
art history Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today, ...
at the
School of Visual Arts The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. History This school was started by ...
. He has had many solo exhibitions, including one in
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...
His work in the early 1980s chiefly consisted of
postminimalist Postminimalism is an art term coined (as post-minimalism) by Robert Pincus-Witten in 1971Chilvers, Ian and Glaves-Smith, John, ''A Dictionary of Modern and Contemporary Art'', second edition (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2009), p. ...
gray graphite drawings that were often photomechanically enlarged. Beginning in 1979 he became associated with the artist group Colab, organized the Public Arts International/Free Speech series, he was a member of Colab in the 1980s and helped established the non-profit group
ABC No Rio ABC No Rio is a collectively-run non-profit arts organization on New York City's Lower East Side. It was founded in 1980 in a squat at 156 Rivington Street, following the eviction of the 1979-80 Real Estate Show. The centre featured an art g ...
. In 1983 he co-founded the
avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretica ...
electronic art music audio project Tellus Audio Cassette Magazine. In 1984, Nechvatal began work on an opera called '' XS: The Opera Opus'' (1984-6) with the no wave musical composer Rhys Chatham. He began using computers and robotics to make
post-conceptual Post-conceptual, postconceptual, post-conceptualism or postconceptualism is an art theory that builds upon the legacy of conceptual art in contemporary art, where the concept(s) or idea(s) involved in the work takes some precedence over traditional ...
paintings in 1986 and later, in his signature work, began to employ self-created
computer viruses A computer virus is a type of computer program that, when executed, replicates itself by modifying other computer programs and inserting its own code. If this replication succeeds, the affected areas are then said to be "infected" with a comput ...
. From 1991 to 1993, he was artist-in-residence at the
Louis Pasteur Louis Pasteur (, ; 27 December 1822 – 28 September 1895) was a French chemist and microbiologist renowned for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination, microbial fermentation and pasteurization, the latter of which was named afte ...
Atelier An atelier () is the private workshop or studio of a professional artist in the fine or decorative arts or an architect, where a principal master and a number of assistants, students, and apprentices can work together producing fine art or ...
in
Arbois Arbois () is a commune in the Jura department, in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, eastern France. The river Cuisance passes through the town, which centres on an arcaded central square where one can sample the local wines. The commune h ...
, France and at the Saline Royale/ Ledoux Foundation's computer lab. There he worked on ''The Computer Virus Project'', his first artistic experiment with
computer viruses A computer virus is a type of computer program that, when executed, replicates itself by modifying other computer programs and inserting its own code. If this replication succeeds, the affected areas are then said to be "infected" with a comput ...
and computer virus
animation Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...
. He exhibited computer-robotic paintings at
Documenta ''documenta'' is an exhibition of contemporary art which takes place every five years in Kassel, Germany. The ''documenta'' was founded by artist, teacher and curator Arnold Bode in 1955 as part of the Bundesgartenschau (Federal Horticultural ...
8 in 1987. In 2002 he extended his experimentation into viral artificial life through a collaboration with the programmer Stephane Sikora of music2eye in a work called the ''Computer Virus Project II''. Nechvatal has also created a
noise music Noise music is a genre of music that is characterised by the expressive use of noise within a musical context. This type of music tends to challenge the distinction that is made in conventional musical practices between musical and non-musical ...
work called '' viral symphOny'', a collaborative sound symphony created by using his computer virus software at the Institute for Electronic Arts at
Alfred University Alfred University is a private university in Alfred, New York. It has a total undergraduate population of approximately 1,600 students. The university hosts the New York State College of Ceramics, which includes The Inamori School of Engineeri ...
. From 1999 to 2013, Nechvatal taught art theories of immersive virtual reality and the viractual at the
School of Visual Arts The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. History This school was started by ...
in New York City (SVA). A book of his collected essays entitled ''Towards an Immersive Intelligence: Essays on the Work of Art in the Age of Computer Technology and Virtual Reality (1993–2006)'' was published by Edgewise Press in 2009. Also in 2009, his book ''Immersive Ideals / Critical Distances'' was published. In 2011, his book ''Immersion Into Noise'' was published by Open Humanities Press in conjunction with the
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
Library's Scholarly Publishing Office.


Viractualism

''Viractualism'' is an art theory concept developed by Nechvatal in 1999 from Ph.D. research Nechvatal conducted at the University of Wales College. There he developed his concept of the ''viractual,'' which strives to create an interface between the actual and the virtual.


Footnotes


Further reading

* John Johnston, ''The Allure of Machinic Life: Cybernetics, Artificial Life, and the New AI'', MIT Press, 2008, cover * Donald Kuspit
''The Matrix of Sensations''
''VI: Digital Artists and the New Creative Renaissance'' * Joline Blais and Jon Ippolito, ''The Edge of Art'', Thames & Hudson Ltd, p. 213 * Frank Popper, ''From Technological to Virtual Art'', MIT Press, pp. 120–123 * Johanna Drucker

''Joseph Nechvatal : Critical Pleasure'' *
Robert C. Morgan Robert C. Morgan (born 1943) is an American art critic, art historian, curator, poet, and artist. Biography Robert C. Morgan received his M.F.A. in sculpture from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 1975 and his Ph.D. in art education ...
, ''Voluptuary: An algorithic hermaphornology'', Tema Celeste Magazine, volume #93, p. 94 * Bruce Wands, ''Art of the Digital Age'', London: Thames & Hudson, p. 65 *
Robert C. Morgan Robert C. Morgan (born 1943) is an American art critic, art historian, curator, poet, and artist. Biography Robert C. Morgan received his M.F.A. in sculpture from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 1975 and his Ph.D. in art education ...
, ''Laminations of the Soul'', Editions Antoine Candau, 1990, pp. 23–30 *
Margot Lovejoy Margot Lovejoy (21 October 1930 – 1 August 2019) ...
, ''Digital Currents: Art in the Electronic Age'' Routledge 2004 * Joseph Nechvatal, ''Immersive Excess in the Apse of
Lascaux Lascaux ( , ; french: Grotte de Lascaux , "Lascaux Cave") is a network of caves near the village of Montignac, in the department of Dordogne in southwestern France. Over 600 parietal wall paintings cover the interior walls and ceilings of t ...
'', Technonoetic Arts 3, no3. 2005 * Joseph Nechvatal
Into Noise''
Open Humanities Press in conjunction with the
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
Library's Scholarly Publishing Office. Ann Arbor. 2011 * Johanna Drucker, ''Joseph Nechvatal : Critical Pleasure'', Redaktion Frank Berndt, 1996, pp. 10–13 * Mario Costa, ''Phenomenology of New Tech Arts'', Artmedia, Salerno, 2005, p. 6 & pp. 36 – 38 * Dominique Moulon, ''L'art numerique: spectateur-acteuret vie artificielle'', ''Les images numeriques'' #47-48, 2004, pp. 124–125 * Christine Buci-Glucksmann, ''L'art à l'époque virtuel'', in ''Frontières esthétiques de l'art'', Arts 8, Paris: L'Harmattan, 2004 * Brandon Taylor, ''
Collage Collage (, from the french: coller, "to glue" or "to stick together";) is a technique of art creation, primarily used in the visual arts, but in music too, by which art results from an Assemblage (art), assemblage of different forms, thus creat ...
'', Thames & Hudson Ltd, 2006, p. 221 * Dominique Moulon

''Conférence Report : Media Art in France'', Un Point d'Actu, L'Art Numerique, pp. 124–125 * Edmond Couchot, ''Des Images, du temps et des machines'', édité Actes Sud, 2007, pp. 263–264 * Fred Forest, ''Art et Internet'', Editions Cercle D'Art / Imaginaire Mode d'Emploi, pp. 48 –51 * Wayne Enstice & Melody Peters, ''Drawing: Space, Form, & Expression'', New Jersey: Prentice Hall, pp. 312–313 * Ellen K. Levy, ''Synthetic Lighting: Complex Simulations of Nature'', Photography Quarterly (#88) 2004, pp. 7–9 * Marie-Paule Nègre, ''Des artistes en leur monde'', volume 2, la Gazette de l'Hotel Drout, 2008, pp. 82–83 * Corrado Levi, ''È andata così: Cronaca e critica dell'arte 1970-2008'', ''Joseph Nechvatal intervistato nel suo studio a New York (1985–86)'', pp. 130–135 * Donald Kuspit, ''Del Atre Analogico al Arte Digital'' in ''Arte Digital Y Videoarte'', Kuspit, D. ed., Consorcio del Circulo de Bellas Artes, Madrid, pp. 33–34 & pp. 210 – 212 *
Robert C. Morgan Robert C. Morgan (born 1943) is an American art critic, art historian, curator, poet, and artist. Biography Robert C. Morgan received his M.F.A. in sculpture from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 1975 and his Ph.D. in art education ...
, ''Nechvatal's Visionary Computer Virus'', in Gruson, L. ed. 1993. ''Joseph Nechvatal: Computer Virus Project'', Royal Saltworks at Arc-et-Senans: Fondation Claude-Nicolas Ledoux, pp. 8–15 * Sarah J. Rogers (ed), ''Body Mécanique: Artistic Explorations of Digital Realms'', Columbus, Ohio, Wexner Center for the Arts, The Ohio State University * Edward A. Shanken, ''Art and Electronic Media''. London: Phaidon, 2009. , pp. 42, 285, 160


External links


Joseph Nechvatal's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nechvatal, Joseph 1951 births Living people 20th-century American painters American male painters 21st-century American painters 21st-century American male artists School of Visual Arts faculty American conceptual artists American digital artists American expatriates in France American experimental musicians Artists from Chicago Artists from New York (state) Cellular automatists Experimental composers Genetic programming American installation artists Mass media theorists New media artists American noise musicians Postmodern artists Robotic art American sound artists Male classical composers 20th-century American printmakers 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians American contemporary painters 20th-century American male artists