Art and Human Psychology: Inside the Imagination of V4w.enko

A canvas of flinching cells, a frame with skin-like texture, and an array of eye-catching colors draw you into an artistic landscape filled with wonder. In V4w.enko’s latest series “Layered Algorithmic Abstractions,” the artist harnesses the power of movement and provides a unique insight into the world of algorithmic art and how it allows for a rediscovery of human psychology and perception. 

Currently living in Ukraine, V4w.enko shares his thoughts on the impact of experimentation, time constraints, and the art of self-curation on their work, as well as their hopes for the coming year. Their contemplative responses offer a glimpse into the mind of an interdisciplinary artist who has dedicated themselves to creating abstract digital art on a global scale.

Virginia Valenzuela: I know you’ve been creating art with algorithms since 2007. What first got you into making art with code?

V4w.enko: Hi, thank you for your questions. Well, during my daily job in an architectural office, I was a music lover and listened to a lot of avant-garde acoustic, electroacoustic and electronic music. At that time I practiced the architectural rules for building the forms with electronic 3D tools and I got the question in my mind – “is it possible to generate electronic music composition in real-time that could be generated, played, and listened to in the same moment of time?” Because I got the music school degree before becoming an architect I got this question in my mind maybe. I started to dig into various softwares and make experiments with coding music to get the answer. And I got the answer “Yes, it is possible.” Later I got one more question in my mind: “If it is ‘Yes’ for the sound, then let me try to do the same research in visual. How could the composition look if it is generated at almost the same moment before watching them?”  And I got some results that totally explained to me the reality of coding algorithmic art. So this way of thinking got me into making art with code.

VV: Many of your works seem interested in DNA, or the molecular structures that make up bigger beings. What do you find beautiful about looking at objects through the lens of a microscope?

V4w.enko: Good question. There is very frequent feedback that the artwork reminds viewers of some physical term or biological cell of some micro world related or indivisible micro components. I always try to extract some abstract component from my mind or an indivisible archetype of form or micro sound that could be used to build the more complicated structure. Maybe that came from my architectural approach to analyzing the indivisible module of what the artwork consists of. 

I basically dig the process of finding that “atom” or “cell” of structure. Then I start to assemble a first prototype that allows me to build more complicated structures by imagination from that point when I  got this number of archetypes in consciousness. I never look in a real “microscope,” but I often watch the “microscope of imagination” or the “microscope of perception.”

VV: You have a distinct use of color. What do you think about when you are choosing colors for your pieces?

V4w.enko: For me the color is the frequency of light. I perceive the color as a wave. But yes, I feel them as usual. Every time I use the color I connect the knowledge of music frequency harmony, color theory in graphics based on such a systems as maybe “newton color wheel,” CMYK or RGB color models, etc., and connecting them with another type of color philosophy in various alternative systems such as “chakras color fields” or “solfeggio frequencies.”  So after the stage of the process when the geometry build is ready I start to build the color model. Sometimes I start from the color model development first. Sometimes I pick colors from the natural landscapes or some atmospheric effects of lights. And as in generative aesthetics the fact happens often, when the rules are harmonically connected to each other then the result of the whole system looks very distinct and harmonized. Maybe this approach came from the multimedia background to my personal experience.

VV: Let’s talk about your series on Mint Gold Dust, “Layered Algorithmic Abstractions.” Can you tell me the backstory of this project and how you created these works?

V4w.enko: Well, the opportunity to create artwork for the Mint Gold Dust came at the near point when I just invented a new approach to animation inside my “Layered Algorithmic Abstraction” series. This time I dove into the specific microwave models of micro sound waves (or just waves) being used for the movement behaviors of arrays of abstract cells that reminded me of the movement of “dust” according to the water streams. I decided this new innovation does not happen so often on my side and it looks like I just invented a new “golden rule” for myself to work with in the next artworks. I generated a few iterations with specific color models I just discovered too, selected the most unique results based on my subjective opinion, and minted them to Mint Gold Dust, inspired with this situation of harmonic results and a variety of names. That happened in the same moment of time as some abstract magic happening based on desire or some wish to generate a unique piece. But that was not an abstract unconscious magic. It was the result of a deep development process connected to the special moment of time and space.

VV: The first work, “Layered Algorithmic Abstraction #177,” was featured in our recent curation, “A JPEG Called Desire.” And in the Twitter Space, you mentioned that you thought of desire as a multi-layered process. It’s not just about having desire, but formulating plans to achieve it, thinking about desire, how desire changes you. Are you often inspired by human psychology when you are creating artworks?

V4w.enko: Maybe each artwork, because I am human. So, yes – very often!

VV: It feels like algorithmic art speaks to the human condition in a way that other artforms don’t. Do you think there are any connections between human psychology and code?

V4w.enko: Very deep and interesting question, thanks. In my opinion, human psychology is very well connected to the code like an algorithm we distribute to do something. But at the same time I think psychology is not the only aspect that humans are focused on during the process of creating a code or watching the code art. For example, there are a lot of very important focuses that are very well connected too, such as environment, equipment, state of mind, or physical ability. Human psychology could be very connected with code if the human uses the code or creates them or watches the art based on code. But sometimes the psychology is independent from the code, for example in situations when the code doesn’t understand the human’s instructions and resumes it as “glitch.” Another aspect is that algorithmic art can work with code of human perception. For example, optical illusion or moving loops. Here the code artist can capture rules of human perception and create algorithms based on such rules, sometimes moving the algorithm to perceive things that do not exist in the artwork like special illusion of movement or color illusion. Yes, the algorithmic form of art could allow us to rediscover the human psychology or psychology of perception as well.

VV: I know you are living in Ukraine right now and working on strict time constraints because you are only able to connect between certain hours of the day. How has the backdrop of conflict and time constraints affected your art and your process?

V4w.enko: I have no answer for the question about the conflict because I am not the professional in this case. But I can say that the feeling of extreme life since 2007 stays the same for me as for the interdisciplinary artist. From that time when I decided to continue as an independent artist oriented to global abstract digital art, I have been working on strict time constraints always and maybe I am very accustomed to that mode of working.

VV: What are you most excited about or hopeful for in the coming year?

V4w.enko: I hope the coming year will come for the planet as usual and for me as usual too. I understand that this condition “as usual” is sometimes a very high condition. Of course I have more hopes in some personal professional aspects for me as a human. As well I have wishes for society as a whole, the planet, and nature. And I wish no war anywhere on the planet too and this is maybe my strongest human wish.  So let the year come!

In the world of abstract digital art, there lies a unique opportunity to explore the intricate connection between human psychology and perception. As V4w.enko shares his thoughts on his work, it becomes clear that the process of creating art is deeply intertwined with our personal experiences and surroundings. Despite facing challenges, both in art and in life, V4w.enko remains hopeful for the coming year and highlights the importance of peace and harmony in our society. 

We are reminded of the power of art to evoke introspection and provoke thought on both an individual and global level. Let us embrace this powerful medium as a means for understanding ourselves and our world.  The possibilities are endless, and it is up to us to embrace them with open arms. We embark on this journey together, honoring the beauty and complexity that surrounds us all.