AI Hokusai
ArtTech Research Project
ArtTech Research Project
AI Hokusai ArtTech Research Project is an innovative project that merges the realms of artificial intelligence and traditional Japanese art. Inspired by the iconic works of Katsushika Hokusai, the project utilizes AI technology to reinterpret classic ukiyo-e styles, creating new digital art pieces that honor and expand upon the aesthetic of the Edo period. This fusion of modern technology with timeless artistry invites viewers to explore Hokusai's legacy through a fresh, interactive digital lens, making Japanese art accessible and relevant to contemporary audiences worldwide.
The integration of artificial intelligence-based tools into our daily lives is no longer surprising. Artists, being experimenters and visionaries by nature, are the vanguard of artificial intelligence experimenters, opportunities and problems of artificial intelligence in art.
We decided to talk to the curators of the project to find out all the details.
MISSION
Explore new horizons in art through a synthesis of contemporary artistic practices and the legacy of Hokusai using artificial intelligence, asking questions about the future of creativity, ethics and the role of the artist in a society on the verge of technological transformation.
KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI (1760—1849) was a world-renowned Japanese artist and art educator who sought to bridge Eastern and Western traditions. He created instructional manuals called manga that went on tohave inspired contemporary art education through a systematic methodology and approach that algorithmically breaks down complex artistic processes into accessible steps and elements. Hokusai’s influence extends beyond traditional Japanese art. His innovative use of perspective and composition influenced the Impressionists such as Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh. Without Hokusai, various artistic disciplines such as modern woodcutting, graphic design, comics, manga, anime and even tattooing would not be the same.
"One believes that art is real, The other - that only death is real. But both agree that everything That's around and now is banal.
They say that fate is chance, That there's not enough vodka for everyone, That life is short, like a parachute jump, And that nothing ever happens."
"One believes that art is real, The other - that only death is real. But both agree that everything That's around and now is banal.
They say that fate is chance, That there's not enough vodka for everyone, That life is short, like a parachute jump, And that nothing ever happens."
AI HOKUSAI is an ArtTech Research Project that, inspired by the methodology proposed in the 19th century by the Japanese artist and art educator Hokusai, invites international artists working in various media to experiment with artificial intelligence.
The project takes place online in the form of a residency/laboratory. During 3 months, it will combine an intensive internal program of applied workshops for selected artists, with an open public program that includes discussions and masterclasses.
The project takes place online in the form of a residency/laboratory. During 3 months, it will combine an intensive internal program of applied workshops for selected artists, with an open public program that includes discussions and masterclasses.
While the artists explore generative AI tools to create artworks for a final exhibition, the organizers will conduct a research study, by observing and analyzing the process from cultural, technological, anthropological and philosophical points of view.
The results will be published in a research paper which brings together the experience of artists, experts and organizers to produce a deeper understanding of the role of artificial intelligence in the context of art, culture, and human heritage.
The results will be published in a research paper which brings together the experience of artists, experts and organizers to produce a deeper understanding of the role of artificial intelligence in the context of art, culture, and human heritage.
TEAM
- EVGENY MERMANAI Hokusai project curator. A multimedia artist (born in Kyiv, Ukraine) lives and works in Tel Aviv. After studying at the SVA (School of Visual Arts) and living in New York and Hong Kong, Evgeny moved to Israel, where he continued his artistic career. He’s had solo exhibitions in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Kyiv, MusemLV, Riga and Museum and Center of Contemporary Art, Ticino, Switzerland. In 2019 he won 1st Prize at 33th Kyoto Art Biennale, International Juried Exhibition of Art. Japan.
- VLADIMIR OPREDELENOVAI Hokusai project curator. Expert, lecturer and researcher in the field of combining technological innovation, management, social development and the sphere of culture and art. Founder of the digital agency tech4.art, specializing in consulting museums, galleries and art business companies, as well as art managers, artists and collectors on the topics of development, digital marketing and the use of all types of technologies.
- ANNA SHVETSAI Hokusai project curator. An art manager, producer of international art projects, independent curator and art business strategist with hundreds of art projects across the world over the last 20 years. Anna’s extensive network and experience in cultural management enable her to execute complex projects globally. She contributes to art and business magazines and lectures on art business and international art PR at universities. Anna is founder and CEO of TAtchers’ Art Management.
EXPERTS & SPEAKERS
- Andrés BurbanoResearcher, art educator
and interdisciplinary artist.
ACM SIGGRAPH 2024 Chair - Denis BelkevichGeneral Partner Fuelarts,
creative Tech investor, art
economist, Art advisor - Maurice BenayounNew media artist, curator
and art theorist - Eileen Isagon SkyersMedia art curator,
artist, writer
- Elizabeth MarkevitchFounder of ikonoTV, TEDx
speaker, AI adopter - Paul Rosero ContrerasResearcher, interdisciplinary
artist, professor Art, Science & Technology - Tonia SamsonovaFounder of Exactly.ai.
Changing the AI rules for
artists - Weidi ZhangNew media artist and
researcher
- NAME NAME
- Takashi IkegamiProfessor, researcher of complex
systems, AI, and media art - David GunkelResearcher, author, professor of
technology ethics and aesthetics
Residents of the AI Hokusai ArtTech Research Project
Alex May | UK
Alex May is an internationally recognised artist known for his innovative exploration of the intersection between art, science, and technology, with a focus on creating multi layered works that resonate with the human experience in a rapidly evolving digital world.
His body of work utilises creative software he has written and a wide range of digital new media forms including video sculpture, algorithmic photography, interactive robotics, photogrammetry as memory, 3D printed sculpture, virtual and augmented reality apps, video projection mapping, generative algorithms and biological sonification, with roots in experimental performative software, video and sound art.
May’s international exhibition profile includes Ars Electronica (Austria), ZKM (Germany), MIT Museum (USA), Tate Modern (UK), HeK (Switzerland), The Nobel Prize Museum (Sweden), LABoral (Spain), WRO Media Art Biennale (Poland), The Francis Crick Institute (UK), Eden Project (UK), Science Gallery Dublin (Ireland) and Bengaluru (India), ZHI Art Museum (China), and the Beall Center for Art + Technology (USA).
He gives lectures and talks about his work and many aspects of digital art, art/science collaboration, and digital preservation at venues including the Royal College of Art, Chelsea College of Art (in conversation with curator Robert Storr), UCLA, TEDx Bucharest, and the Royal Academy of Sciences and Arts of Barcelona.
His body of work utilises creative software he has written and a wide range of digital new media forms including video sculpture, algorithmic photography, interactive robotics, photogrammetry as memory, 3D printed sculpture, virtual and augmented reality apps, video projection mapping, generative algorithms and biological sonification, with roots in experimental performative software, video and sound art.
May’s international exhibition profile includes Ars Electronica (Austria), ZKM (Germany), MIT Museum (USA), Tate Modern (UK), HeK (Switzerland), The Nobel Prize Museum (Sweden), LABoral (Spain), WRO Media Art Biennale (Poland), The Francis Crick Institute (UK), Eden Project (UK), Science Gallery Dublin (Ireland) and Bengaluru (India), ZHI Art Museum (China), and the Beall Center for Art + Technology (USA).
He gives lectures and talks about his work and many aspects of digital art, art/science collaboration, and digital preservation at venues including the Royal College of Art, Chelsea College of Art (in conversation with curator Robert Storr), UCLA, TEDx Bucharest, and the Royal Academy of Sciences and Arts of Barcelona.
Оksana Fedchyshyn | Ukraine
Oksana Fedchyshyn was born in 1999 in Lviv, Ukraine.
In 2020 received a bachelor’s degree from the Lviv National Academy of Arts at the Department of Graphic Design.
In 2021 received the «Gaude Polonia» scholarship from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland, with the allocation in Wrocław, Poland.
In 2022 during a semester she studied at Shenkar College in Tel Aviv, Israel.
In 2023 received a master’s degree from the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk, Department of Graphic Arts.
She participated in numerous exhibitions and residencies, e. g.: residency at the Make Eindhoven graphic studio with the support of the Goethe-Institut and Culture Moves Europe (Eindhoven, Netherlands, 2024); XIII Biennial of Graphics (Poznan, Poland, 2023); residency and participation in Joan Miró Graphic Workshop Courses (Palma de Mallorca, Spain, 2022); Unity: British and Ukrainian Art (Koppel X, London, United Kingdom, 2022); I Can Only Talk About War / I Can Talk Not Only About War (LAZNIA Centre for Contemporary Art, Gdansk, Poland, 2022); Second International Triennial of Intaglio Graphics 2021 (White World Gallery, Kyiv, Ukraine, 2021)
Currently lives and works in Tel Aviv, Israel.
In 2020 received a bachelor’s degree from the Lviv National Academy of Arts at the Department of Graphic Design.
In 2021 received the «Gaude Polonia» scholarship from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland, with the allocation in Wrocław, Poland.
In 2022 during a semester she studied at Shenkar College in Tel Aviv, Israel.
In 2023 received a master’s degree from the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk, Department of Graphic Arts.
She participated in numerous exhibitions and residencies, e. g.: residency at the Make Eindhoven graphic studio with the support of the Goethe-Institut and Culture Moves Europe (Eindhoven, Netherlands, 2024); XIII Biennial of Graphics (Poznan, Poland, 2023); residency and participation in Joan Miró Graphic Workshop Courses (Palma de Mallorca, Spain, 2022); Unity: British and Ukrainian Art (Koppel X, London, United Kingdom, 2022); I Can Only Talk About War / I Can Talk Not Only About War (LAZNIA Centre for Contemporary Art, Gdansk, Poland, 2022); Second International Triennial of Intaglio Graphics 2021 (White World Gallery, Kyiv, Ukraine, 2021)
Currently lives and works in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Julio César Palacio | Spain
Julio César Palacio’s work embodies an organic, exploratory approach, embracing diverse formats and representations without adhering to a specific materiality. His projects aim to open new ways of perceiving our existence in connection to the earth and nature, fostering community engagement rather than personal development. Julio’s sonic practice investigates acoustic phenomena, expanding auditory perception, spatial sound, and explores non-Western and decolonial perspectives on listening. His work delves into sound’s role in identity, collective memory, and oral history, alongside environmental themes like noise pollution and bioacoustics, using sound data to raise awareness around today’s climate crisis.
Julio has performed and presented his work globally, with appearances at prominent festivals and events in Europe, the United States, Japan, China, and South Korea. His recordings and interviews feature on international labels and radio programs, while his sound art has been exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide. He is a recipient of the Research and Innovation Grant from Catalonia and the BKF MACBA Research Grant. Julio has participated in prestigious residencies, including EMS Electronic Music Studio (Sweden), Islington Mill (UK), Indigo Foundation (Italy), L’Estruch Fàbrica de Creació (Spain), and Fabra i Coats Contemporary Art Center (Spain).
Julio has performed and presented his work globally, with appearances at prominent festivals and events in Europe, the United States, Japan, China, and South Korea. His recordings and interviews feature on international labels and radio programs, while his sound art has been exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide. He is a recipient of the Research and Innovation Grant from Catalonia and the BKF MACBA Research Grant. Julio has participated in prestigious residencies, including EMS Electronic Music Studio (Sweden), Islington Mill (UK), Indigo Foundation (Italy), L’Estruch Fàbrica de Creació (Spain), and Fabra i Coats Contemporary Art Center (Spain).
HYPHAE Collective - Roxana Vazquez & Carlos Wyszogrod | Argentina/Germany
«Rox Vazquez is a visual artist born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She has over 16 years of experience working in post-production for film and advertising, as well as in live visuals projects, video mapping, and interactive installations. Rox works with site-specific installations, video, digital animation, artificial intelligence, interactive systems, and generative visuals. Her background in graphic design, photography, and music has significantly influenced her artistic practice, allowing her to explore the possibilities that new media offer to materialize dreamlike objects and situations, which she later incorporates into her performances. She has presented her work in several exhibitions around the world and worked as a VJ alongside renowned artists.
Carlos Wyszogrod is a visual artist, music producer, and pianist born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His music is characterized by a distinct synthwave style, utilizing both analog and digital synthesizers to create atmospheric live performances.
With 15 years of experience in film and advertising, he works as an art director and CG artist. Previously serving as Art Director in prominent post-production studios in Buenos Aires, he honed his creative vision and skills. Currently, he employs 3D software and AI tools to generate his own animations, complemented by audio production and other multimedia elements. Now he runs his own post-production studio in Buenos Aires, where innovative and visually impactful projects continue to emerge.»
Carlos Wyszogrod is a visual artist, music producer, and pianist born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His music is characterized by a distinct synthwave style, utilizing both analog and digital synthesizers to create atmospheric live performances.
With 15 years of experience in film and advertising, he works as an art director and CG artist. Previously serving as Art Director in prominent post-production studios in Buenos Aires, he honed his creative vision and skills. Currently, he employs 3D software and AI tools to generate his own animations, complemented by audio production and other multimedia elements. Now he runs his own post-production studio in Buenos Aires, where innovative and visually impactful projects continue to emerge.»
Saint Denis| France
Denis Semenov, known professionally as Saint Denis, is a pioneering new media artist, co-founder, and director at SAINT D Studio. Saint Denis specializes in creating virtual and artificial intelligence art, with a focus on audio-visual performances and immersive installations. His work pushes the boundaries of human creativity by harnessing the potential of AI algorithms to produce unique art pieces that challenge traditional notions of imagination. Deeply immersed in AI and VR technologies, Denis’s art reflects a harmonious blend of creativity and technological innovation, exploring how emerging tools can shape new artistic forms—from visual compositions to generative music.
In 2023, Denis became a member of the prestigious International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS). His innovative works have garnered numerous awards, including an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Interactive Media: Documentary, a Webby Award as People’s Voice Winner, and the Red Dot’s Best of the Best distinction. Denis’s art has been presented at major international venues such as South by Southwest (USA), New Images Film Festival by Forum des Images (France), the Venice Film Festival (Italy), and the Cannes Film Festival (France), among others. Currently based in France, he continues to expand his artistic practice, exploring how technology can redefine creative expression.
In 2023, Denis became a member of the prestigious International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS). His innovative works have garnered numerous awards, including an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Interactive Media: Documentary, a Webby Award as People’s Voice Winner, and the Red Dot’s Best of the Best distinction. Denis’s art has been presented at major international venues such as South by Southwest (USA), New Images Film Festival by Forum des Images (France), the Venice Film Festival (Italy), and the Cannes Film Festival (France), among others. Currently based in France, he continues to expand his artistic practice, exploring how technology can redefine creative expression.
Tomo Sone | Japan/USA
Tomo Sone is a choreographer who merges artistic vision with scientific insights, crafting innovative dance narratives. Through her recent MFA research, she has refined her expertise in experimental choreography, collaborating with AR technology and creating internationally recognized dance films and solo works. Her interdisciplinary approach is further supported by presentations at conferences and contributions to dance research publications, including her recent presentation at the 2023 Ars Electronica Festival in Linz, Austria.
Tomo’s work spans original choreography for stage, dance films, and events. She has led dancer workshops to align training with creative goals and is committed to using dance as a tool for social change and nurturing emerging talents. Collaborating with diverse artists, including motion graphic designers, animators, composers, and filmmakers, Tomo often designs soundscapes, costumes, and scenography to enhance her work. Her recent research delves into digital technology’s relationship with the human body, seeking new avenues for empathy.
Tomo’s performances have been showcased at the Suzanne Dellal Center in Israel, the Jerusalem Theatre, and the Gdansk Dance Festival in Poland. In 2020, she was a finalist in Mexico’s Festival Internacional de Danza Contemporánea, and her video-dance works have won awards at several international festivals.
Tomo’s work spans original choreography for stage, dance films, and events. She has led dancer workshops to align training with creative goals and is committed to using dance as a tool for social change and nurturing emerging talents. Collaborating with diverse artists, including motion graphic designers, animators, composers, and filmmakers, Tomo often designs soundscapes, costumes, and scenography to enhance her work. Her recent research delves into digital technology’s relationship with the human body, seeking new avenues for empathy.
Tomo’s performances have been showcased at the Suzanne Dellal Center in Israel, the Jerusalem Theatre, and the Gdansk Dance Festival in Poland. In 2020, she was a finalist in Mexico’s Festival Internacional de Danza Contemporánea, and her video-dance works have won awards at several international festivals.
SARES| Argentina
Sares is a visionary digital artist whose work bridges the past and future, merging traditional aesthetics with cutting-edge technology to shape new forms of creative expression. Specializing in mixed media, Sares employs a variety of tools, including 3D modeling, artificial intelligence, and generative art techniques, to capture the chaotic essence of time. His goal is to transform passive viewing into immersive witnessing, inviting audiences to engage with his art on a deeply personal level. With more than a decade of experience in art direction, Sares has earned a reputation for his impactful pieces exhibited across the globe in iconic locations such as New York, Beeple Studios in South Carolina, China, Canada, Italy, London, and Madrid.
Each piece is layered with reflective messages centered on universal emotions and grounded in his lived experiences, exploring themes of identity, memory, and transformation. Through his work, Sares seeks not only to inspire change but also to challenge and break down digital barriers, pushing the boundaries of what art can achieve in a technologically driven world. His pieces offer viewers a moment to pause, reflect, and consider their own role in the ongoing evolution of art and society.
Each piece is layered with reflective messages centered on universal emotions and grounded in his lived experiences, exploring themes of identity, memory, and transformation. Through his work, Sares seeks not only to inspire change but also to challenge and break down digital barriers, pushing the boundaries of what art can achieve in a technologically driven world. His pieces offer viewers a moment to pause, reflect, and consider their own role in the ongoing evolution of art and society.
-You have been working with Hokusai’s legacy for a long time now. Do you establish an internal dialogue with the artist during your research?
EVGENY MERMAN - "Construing Hokusai. The elusive, rapidly changing world of today is connected by an invisible thread, with a subtle subtext the world of Hokusai’s prints known as ukiyo-e, or “pictures of the floating world”, which celebrated its hedonistic pursuits."
EM: - "Japanese folk tales, historical paintings, landscapes, flora and fauna. This is the genre in which Hokusai would have specialized, which the ruling elites considered vulgar and censored until today, now looks very truthful and realistic and once again emphasizes the cyclical nature of historical processes."
EM: - "In my opinion this is accompanied by a philosophical outlook that resonates with our own dialectical vision of the world—one that captures both the flux of nature and society and their interconnectedness.
No human is an island, and this is doubly true for artists, despite the fantasies about “geniuses” working in splendid isolation in their garrets. There is constant feedback between the creator of a work, their collaborators, their audience, their paymaster—and their environment.
This relationship between that reality and our reality today prompted me, as an artist and freeman to meditate and begin to study and even creatively rework the cultural heritage of Katsushika Hokusai."
No human is an island, and this is doubly true for artists, despite the fantasies about “geniuses” working in splendid isolation in their garrets. There is constant feedback between the creator of a work, their collaborators, their audience, their paymaster—and their environment.
This relationship between that reality and our reality today prompted me, as an artist and freeman to meditate and begin to study and even creatively rework the cultural heritage of Katsushika Hokusai."
-What is the main challenge in shaping the relationship between innovation and creativity in the future?
ANNA SHVETS - "Shaping the Future of Creativity and Innovation. A major difficulty is that the technology is developing rapidly, and there are still many uncertainties and knowledge gaps as to what is possible today and in the near future. But a number of controversial issues are identified and discussed. The position taken on controversial issues will depend on assumptions made about the technology, about the nature and location of consciousness, about art and creativity. Therefore, a number of hypothetical answers are outlined, related to the assumptions made."
-What led you to the idea of holding a Public Program?
VLADIMIR OPREDELENOV - "Blurring the boundaries between art and technology, AIH public program is intended to fuel the conversation about the relationship between art and algorithms, between data and human design and between technology and emotion."
PARTNERS
If you are interested in becoming a partner or sponsor, please feel free to contact us.
If you are interested in becoming a partner or sponsor, please feel free to contact us.
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