Neural Zoo (2018) Partially inspired by the Codex Seraphinianus, this project is a documentation of creatures…
Neural Zoo (2018) Partially inspired by the Codex Seraphinianus, this project is a documentation of creatures…
Sofia Crespo, who uses machine learning techniques to create images of biotic life, talks to STIR about her fascination with artificial life in the digital space.
Neural Zoo (2018) Partially inspired by the Codex Seraphinianus, this project is a documentation of creatures…
Neural Zoo (2018) Partially inspired by the Codex Seraphinianus, this project is a documentation of creatures…
Sofia Crespo describes her work as the “natural history book that never was.” The Berlin-based artist uses artificial neural networks to generate illustrations that at first glance, resemble Louis Renard’s 18th Century renderings or the exotic specimens of Albertus Seba’s compendium. Upon closer inspection, though, the colorful renderings reveal unsettling combinations: two fish are conjoined with a shared fin, flower petals appear feather-like, and a study of butterflies features insects with missing wings and bizarrely formed bodies. More
Sofia Crespo is an artist working with a huge interest in biology-inspired technologies. One of her main focuses is the way organic life uses artificial mechanisms to simulate itself.
Sofia Crespo describes her work as the “natural history book that never was.” The Berlin-based artist uses artificial neural networks to generate illustrations that at first glance, resemble Louis Renard’s 18th Century renderings or the exotic specimens of Albertus Seba’s compendium. Upon closer inspection, though, the colorful renderings reveal unsettling combinations: two fish are conjoined with a shared fin, flower petals appear feather-like, and a study of butterflies features insects with missing wings and bizarrely formed bodies. More
Sofia Crespo and Feileacan McCormick, co-founders of Entangled Others Studio, experiment with generative art to unearth different models of intertwined engagements.
Sofia Crespo’s work consists of different projects working with artificial intelligence, computed image recognition, and neural networks. Her project, Neural Zoo, explores how creativity combines known elements in a specific way in order to create something entirely new. In the process of generating new creatures, that don’t exist yet, she offers a perspective on how similar human creativity works. The creator, in this case, would be the algorithm itself, but with a human artist as its muse.
Sofia Crespo describes her work as the “natural history book that never was.” The Berlin-based artist uses artificial neural networks to generate illustrations that at first glance, resemble Louis Renard’s 18th Century renderings or the exotic specimens of Albertus Seba’s compendium. Upon closer inspection, though, the colorful renderings reveal unsettling combinations: two fish are conjoined with a shared fin, flower petals appear feather-like, and a study of butterflies features insects with missing wings and bizarrely formed bodies. More
The acclaimed architectural geniuses of the Portuguese world, AIRES MATEUS, have been invited to participate in the Venice Architecture Biennale five times since 2010. This publication introduces the five breathtakingly poetic installations that they have contributed to the world’s most renowned architectural event. The Venice Architecture Biennale, one of the most acclaimed events in the world of architecture, is undoubtedly the most prominent of about twenty biennales and triennials devoted to the field worldwide. The international affair brings together leading practitioners from around the world to share knowledge and developments on questions of contemporary relevance. It is a particular distinguishment for the architectural practice AIRES MATEUS to have been invited to participate in this biennale five times. Founded in the 1980s and led by the two brothers Manuel and Francisco Aires Mateus, the practice has gained international recognition for its poetic reinterpretation of architectural traditions in Portugal. Their impact on the current architectural scene in the Portuguese world is unparalleled. This publication, which introduces the five architectural installations contributed to the Venice Biennale by AIRES MATEUS over the past decade, consists of five individual parts. Each of the five books is dedicated to one installation in Venice. They are held together by a vertical slipcase, discretely and beautifully embossed. The breathtaking projects presented in this volume set an outstanding example of how architectural installations reflect space in a sensitive, poetic, and even mathematical way. Every installation is introduced by a short essay, specially written for this publication by philosophers, architects, and an art critic. Contributors include Francisco and Manuel Aires Mateus, Ricardo Carvalho, Nuno Crespo, Sofia Pinto Basto, Paulo Pires do Vale, and Delfim Sardo. VOIDS: The first time AIRES MATEUS presented Portugal at the Venice Biennale was in 2010. The show was curated by Kazuyo Sejima from the Tokyo-based firm SANAA, the first woman ever to work as chief curator of the Venice Architecture Biennale. AIRES MATEUS’ installation VOID was strikingly simple, as their minimalistic architecture often is. An entire room in the Central Pavilion of the Giardini was filled with abstract models of projects by AIRES MATEUS. Their installation investigated the extraction of volumes, connecting positive building forms with the corresponding negative space. This relationship between positive and negative space has always existed inherently, but rarely has it been so clearly and understandably articulated. RADIX: In 2012, the installation took the form of a single large sculpture which greeted the visitors in the Arsenale. The open and closed arches of RADIX, a steel structure clad with rusting steel panels on the outside and with a golden finish on the inside, could be perceived as a continuation of the arches of the shipyards in the docks of the Venetian Arsenale. Despite the heavy steel construction, the arches of the pseudo-rectangular block along with the brownish, golden color have a light appearance; it is as if the structure were made of wood. The arches are supported at three points, with the main arch overhanging the docks. FENDA: In 2016, the participation again took the form of an installation, but this time the visitors could enter a beautifully illuminated, mysterious cube, with which the architects symbolically marked the return to the essence of space. Space was considered from the perspective of its relationship with humans, that is, anthropologically. The installation served as a reminder that this is still the essential value of architecture. FENDA is a cube with outside dimensions of 7 × 7 × 4 meters. The visitor entered by opening a black curtain, passing through a one-meter-thick concrete wall. Inside, one found oneself in a kind of cave. The slit of light from the entrance opened and closed the visitor’s path, changing the scale and perception of space. FIELD: Though it is another beautiful sculpture, this installation differed from previous ones: this time, one could not enter the installation, only look inside. The curators described this work as a sensitive, poetic, and mathematical reflection on space. What the visitor perceived—the smell, colors, and texture—all reminded of nature. Subtle textures or spots of color emerged from the dark under a diffuse and warm light, evoking the beauty of controlled landscapes and blurring the limits between natural and artificial. GROUND: The most recent installation, presented at the 2021 biennale, shifted the visitor’s perspective afresh. Visitors were allowed to walk over the installation which covered the floor of a central walkway at the biennale. By bringing the visitor’s attention to the floor level and thus to the ground, which we all walk on, the installation highlighted what AIRES MATEUS refer to as the shared base of each per...
Sofia Crespo describes her work as the “natural history book that never was.” The Berlin-based artist uses artificial neural networks to generate illustrations that at first glance, resemble Louis Renard’s 18th Century renderings or the exotic specimens of Albertus Seba’s compendium. Upon closer inspection, though, the colorful renderings reveal unsettling combinations: two fish are conjoined with a shared fin, flower petals appear feather-like, and a study of butterflies features insects with missing wings and bizarrely formed bodies. More
Sofia Crespo describes her work as the “natural history book that never was.” The Berlin-based artist uses artificial neural networks to generate illustrations that at first glance, resemble Louis Renard’s 18th Century renderings or the exotic specimens of Albertus Seba’s compendium. Upon closer inspection, though, the colorful renderings reveal unsettling combinations: two fish are conjoined with a shared fin, flower petals appear feather-like, and a study of butterflies features insects with missing wings and bizarrely formed bodies. More
Sofia Crespo describes her work as the “natural history book that never was.” The Berlin-based artist uses artificial neural networks to generate illustrations that at first glance, resemble Louis Renard’s 18th Century renderings or the exotic specimens of Albertus Seba’s compendium. Upon closer inspection, though, the colorful renderings reveal unsettling combinations: two fish are conjoined with a shared fin, flower petals appear feather-like, and a study of butterflies features insects with missing wings and bizarrely formed bodies. More
Sofia Crespo describes her work as the “natural history book that never was.” The Berlin-based artist uses artificial neural networks to generate illustrations that at first glance, resemble Louis Renard’s 18th Century renderings or the exotic specimens of Albertus Seba’s compendium. Upon closer inspection, though, the colorful renderings reveal unsettling combinations: two fish are conjoined with a shared fin, flower petals appear feather-like, and a study of butterflies features insects with missing wings and bizarrely formed bodies. More
Sofia Crespo describes her work as the “natural history book that never was.” The Berlin-based artist uses artificial neural networks to generate illustrations that at first glance, resemble Louis Renard’s 18th Century renderings or the exotic specimens of Albertus Seba’s compendium. Upon closer inspection, though, the colorful renderings reveal unsettling combinations: two fish are conjoined with a shared fin, flower petals appear feather-like, and a study of butterflies features insects with missing wings and bizarrely formed bodies. More
Encompassing the entire NFT ecosystem—from algorithmic art to avatars—the first major art historical survey of this field includes 10 academic essays and richly illustrated profiles of 101 key artists. Connecting the disruptive contemporary medium to its context in art history, this volume offers a deep dive into the sphere of non-fungible tokens and is also available for purchase in crypto.Art Edition (No. 1–100) with the NFT {{floral automata_1236}} (2023) by Sofia Crespo, four accompanying prints of the NFT, signed by the artist, and the book in a stainless steel slipcase designed by ZAK Group. First copies will be available by April 16. Delivery dates for the next copies will be updated shortly. “This book is one of the first major survey publications on blockchain-based art and the wider on-chain cultural ecosystem.” Robert Alice Edition of 100NFT; 4 pigment prints on Hahnemühle paper, each 54.2 x 93.5 cm (sheet), 49.2 x 88.5 cm (image size), numbered and signed by the artist; hardcover volume in stainless steel slipcase, 36 x 50 cm, 14.6 kg, 604 pages, with a booklet, 21 x 29.7 cm, 24 pages Shock of the New TASCHEN’s Guide to the Digital Art Revolution Robert Alice’s On NFTs is the first major art historical survey text on the most compelling, disruptive area of contemporary art today. A rigorous and critical examination of all facets of the NFT ecosystem, On NFTs takes a multidimensional, artist-led approach, leaving its readers with a richer understanding of a topic often shrouded in misconception and pixelated mystery.The book, presented in TASCHEN’s iconic grand-scale BABY SUMO format, covers a wide range of essential information for both those new to or experienced with the modern medium. Featuring 10 essays from the world’s leading voices in art and the blockchain, including Hans Ulrich Obrist, On NFTs is a book that celebrates unlikely and thought-provoking connections from across art history. Expect illustrations of Rembrandt paintings alongside CryptoPunk avatars, extensive essays explaining the nitty-gritty world of NFTs—including Sol LeWitt’s influence on today’s artistic algorithms—as well as behind-the-scenes glimpses of the creative processes of pioneering artists from Beeple and Emily Xie to Snowfro and Refik Anadol.Accompanying the 10 essays, On NFTs presents a co-curated survey of 101 key practices working in NFTs today. With each profile uniquely authored by handpicked experts, including curators, critics, artists, and AI, On NFTs embraces diverse and global voices to navigate this borderless movement. Perfect for both natives and newcomers, On NFTs features an extensive glossary of key terms, and a comprehensive exhibition history and timeline of the digital art canon. A hallmark of Sofia Crespo’s work, {{floral automata_1236}} (2023) explores the relationship between our conceptualization of the world and its artistic representation, highlighting the inherent beauty of natural subjects even when viewed through a digital framework. Drawing from historical models of understanding the world, Crespo's work is a modern codification of ideology into visual expressions that reflect both the complexity and beauty of nature. Spanning over two meters wide, {{floral automata_1236}} can be mounted as a vast cohesive quadriptych or framed independently. The scale and detail of the work invite viewers into Crespo's meticulously crafted digital natural world. Art Edition (No. 1–100) with the NFT {{floral automata_1236}} (2023) by Sofia Crespo, four accompanying prints of the NFT, signed by the artist, and the book On NFTs in a stainless steel slipcase.Also available in a Collector's Edition, in The Hard Code Edition, and in three alternative Art Editions in a stainless steel slipcase with NFTs and accompanying signed prints from artists Refik Anadol, Dmitri Cherniak, and Osinachi. The editor Robert Alice makes art, exhibitions, and books that explore blockchains and their histories. The first artist to auction an NFT at a major auction house, their work Portraits of a Mind (2019–) was pivotal to the NFT space’s growth. In 2023, the Monnaie de Paris held one of the first European museum solo NFT shows on their work. In 2022, Alice, who lectures globally, co-produced the first academic conference on NFTs at the University of Oxford. Alice’s work is part of the permanent collections of several institutions, including the Centre Pompidou, Paris. The artist Sofia Crespo is renowned for her work at the intersection of nature and technology, where she reimagines the natural world through the lens of machine learning and artificial intelligence. Crespo has exhibited work internationally, including a projection mapping at Casa Battló in 2024, her work is also featured in prominent global collections. A leading voice in AI, Crespo has shared her insights on global stages, from TED Talks to the World Artificial Intelligence Conference. On NFTs. Art Edition No. 1–100, Sofia Crespo ‘{{floral automata_1236}}’ Edition of 100NFT; 4 pigment prints on Hahnemühle paper, each 54.2 x 93.5 cm (sheet), 49.2 x 88.5 cm (image size), numbered and signed by the artist; hardcover volume in stainless steel slipcase, 36 x 50 cm, 14.6 kg, 604 pages, with a booklet, 21 x 29.7 cm, 24 pages ISBN 978-3-8365-9676-3 Edition: English Download product images here
Sofía Crespo es una artista que trabaja la visión de la vida artificial y las formas de vida generativa.
