beyond tellerrand 09–11 Dec 2013 Düsseldorf • Germany

Mario Klingemann

Portrait of Mario Klingemann taken at beyond tellerrand in Düsseldorf 2023 by Norman Posselt

Mario Klingemann is an artist who uses algorithms and artificial intelligence to create and investigate systems. He is particularly interested in human perception of art and creativity, researching methods in which machines can augment or emulate these processes. Thus his artistic research spans a wide range of areas like generative art, cybernetic aesthetics, information theory, robotics, feedback loops, pattern recognition, emergent behaviours, neural networks, cultural data or storytelling.

Since early 2020 he has been active in the field of blockchain-based art and played an instrumental role in the stewardship and emergence of the ecologically responsible NFT community around Hic et Nunc and Tezos.

Mario is also the creator and guardian of Botto, an autonomous decentralised AI artist which, steered by its community, has created and sold NFTs for over 2 million US$ since its inception in fall 2021 and currently ranks among the top-10 artists on SuperRare.

He was winner of the Lumen Prize Gold 2018, received an honorary mention at the Prix Ars Electronica 2020 and won the British Library Labs Creative Award 2015. He was artist in residence at the Google Arts & Culture Lab and has been recognised as a pioneer in the field of AI art. His work has been featured in art publications as well as academic research and has been shown in international museums and at art festivals like Ars Electronica, the Centre Pompidou, ZKM, the Barbican, the Ermitage, the Photographers' Gallery, Colección Solo Madrid, Nature Morte Gallery New Delhi, Residenzschloss Dresden, Grey Area Foundation, Mediacity Biennale Seoul, the British Library and MoMA. He is represented by Onkaos, Madrid and DAM Gallery Berlin.

Talk: Finding Dragons

Dragons have become a rare commodity these days. Unlike in the early days where maps where mostly about drawing elaborate coastlines between large white spots and occasionally inviting eager explorers with friendly warnings like "Hic sunt dracones", this has become the age of the settlers: claims have been staked out, crops are being grown and most people make a comfortable living in their nice and safe communities.

Not the best of times to be a dragon hunter who is naturally drawn to the unknown. But those mysterious creatures are still out there, they just managed to hide better. If you only look in the right places you might be able to catch a glimpse of their shiny scales or have your hairs scorched by their fiery breath.

This talk is obviously not about dragons, map making or painfully drawn out metaphors. Instead what expects you is a variety of Code Art, ramblings about the pursue of strange ideas and the joy of making things for the sake of making. And a few dragons.