How to Understand Digital Art Genres
“Orient Express” by Louis-Paul Caron is a video art piece exploring human vulnerability to global warming. There’s no plot or story here; instead, it examines poses, movements, colors, angles, and feelings. It’s a pure visual experiment that feels more like a living painting than a film, which is a key aspect of video art. In “Eromorphosis” by Valentin Ranger, you enter an imaginary world inspired by garden flowers. This kind of journey is typical in virtual art, where artists meticulously craft entire environments with their own unique atmosphere, vibes, and inhabitants. “Bodies Floating into the Land” by Despina Charitonidi is a performance art piece featuring a recorded dance that tells the story of underwater creatures. Experiencing this work live is different from watching it on screen. When artists adapt performance art for digital platforms, they choose the angles they think are best, making it feel like you’re seeing the performance through their eyes. “Unsociable Networks” by S()fia Braga shows that computer-based art often revolves around themes related to gadgets and modern technology. In this piece, the artist reflects on social networks and offers her own versions of Facebook, Twitter, and Tinder, where the user needs no one but themselves. “Me, Myself and I” by Claudia Larcher is an example of computer-generated art, where the artist lets the computer tell her story and show how she has changed over time. In this genre, the themes can vary widely, but it's crucial that the artist works closely with computers. “Looking for Love (and Job)” by Yue Nakayama is a film art piece that follows a fish searching for its soulmate. Unlike video art, which focuses more on visuals, here the story and dialogue play a significant role. This genre connects more with cinema than with painting; some might even see similarities to Quentin Tarantino's dialogue in this work. In “Spartinia Maritima DNA” by Alessandro Zannier artwork is inspired by science. This piece is based on actual scientific research about the DNA of an aquatic plant. The artist neither challenges nor confirms the researchers' conclusions but uses them as inspiration. This strong link to science is essential for science art. “BONES” by David Velez is a piece of audio art that lets us hear incredible sounds—from those we've never experienced to those we've forgotten. In this work, the artist recreates sound waves and vibrations that humans hear while in the womb. By closing your eyes and wearing headphones, you can relive what you might have felt before your birth.
