problems

not fun

sucks

It lacks courage. It’s ugly. It’s conformist. It’s safe. It’s too easy. It’s decorative. It’s predictable. Deja vu. It’s obvious. It’s unoriginal. It lacks vision. It lacks emotion. It’s too emotional. It’s too personal. I don’t connect with it. It doesn’t surprise me. It’s dry. It’s pedantic. It’s too logical. It doesn’t make any sense. It makes too much sense. It’s repulsive. It’s nauseating. I hate it. More of the same. No innovation. It looks like vomit. It hurts my eyes. It makes me sad. It’s ignorant. It’s primitive. It’s banal. It’s too glossy. It’s too polished. It needs polishing. It lacks technique. It doesn’t do anything for me. It’s trendy. It won’t last. It’s fragile. It confuses me. It’s design. It’s theater. It’s illustration. It’s an effect. It lacks depth. It’s cold. There’s no content. There’s no concept. Too conceptual. It’s too pretty. There’s no narrative. It’s boring. It’s clumsy. It’s too much. It’s elitist. It’s populist. It’s crap. It’s not art. It’s too artistic. It’s vile. It lacks poetry. I don’t believe in it. It’s empty. It’s awful. I can’t stand it. I never want to see it again. It’s vulgar. It’s retarded. It’s a cliche. I’m disappointed. It’s racist. It’s sexist. It’s classist. It’s nerdy. It pisses me off. It’s too heady. It’s too smart. It’s not gonna go anywhere. It’s academic. It’s dead. It’s irrelevant. It’s not contemporary. It’s uninteresting. It doesn’t have any meaning. It’s too commercial. It’s tacky. It’s a scam. It’s miserable. It’s exploitative. It’s negative. It’s fake. It’s not critical. It’s not aware. It’s too ironic. It’s appalling. It’s derivative. It’s annoying. It’s atrocious. It’s naive. It’s immature. It’s childish. It’s insufferable. It’s lazy. It’s convoluted. It’s contrived. It’s bloated. It’s unnecessary. I don’t trust it. I don’t get it. Whatever.

i wish

i could make a living

from writing haiku

I have always been interested in the space between painting and animation. The concentration of painting, the liveliness of the moving image. I operate in the area between those two.

Our relationship with the moving image is changing. They surround us, a bit more every day.

I imagine we will live in a world where there is no difference between a screen or any other surface. Any surface can change at will.

It is this feeling, or expectation, that drives me to create moving images.

what you have

what you want

what you need

now

later

too late

green tea

in a white cup

with a blue line

sun rises

sun sets

repeat

thank you

for reading

this

hopefully, one day

i will make something truly

amazing

waiting

waiting

waiting

love

money

beach

a calm fire

almost

at its end

so far

so good

so very good

guess what?

i’m working

on my computer

Over the years my work became more abstract. I have no idea why. I have no idea because I have no idea what I’m doing in general. The heart wants what it wants.

An abstract work is a thing, not a picture of a thing. I like both things and pictures of things. Lately I have been making more things than pictures. But it might change in the future. Who knows?

A change of direction is a change of emphasis. There are no absolute directions. There’s always some figuration and there’s always some abstraction.

I follow my interests. I do whatever is most interesting to me at that moment. I don’t have a plan. I’m wandering. I am not in control of my interests. Just think about it… what interests you? Why are you interested in something? Why not something else? I can’t decide where my mind wanders. It would not be wandering if I decided where to go. Wandering is wonderful. You’re just moving around. Not moving to get anywhere, just moving to be in motion.

I like it when I’m somewhere and I’m not thinking too much. Just observing, not making any decisions. Kind of bored and staring at something, looking around, until something presents itself. These moments are the starting points of my work. Whether the work is abstract or figurative, they come from the same “state-of-mind”.

I’m interested in the space between Almost Nothing and Hardly Anything. Something non verbal, sub conscious, non intelligent, not-thinking-too-much. The ideas have no intention other than wanting to exist. Something that exists just because it wants to exist.

the space between

almost nothing

and hardly anything

from here

to there

and back

the most important thing

in life

is oxygen

cursor

blinking

waiting

without technology

we would not be

very human

i never thought i would say this

but i’m starting to like

living in new york

click click

tap tap

swipe

we all want

that special

something

from torment

to anguish

and agony

for a very brief moment

absolute

silence

sweet dreamy fluffy pretty

jiggly fuzzy tender yummy

gentle happy cuddly cozy

out of nowhere

a sudden, unexpected

sadness

that’s not true

that’s what

you remember

the future

is

uncertain

country road

duck crossing

cars waiting

the funny thing about money

it makes you do things

you don’t want to do

last day of summer

train leaving new york

more people than seats

everything

always

everywhere

morning swim

an empty beach

water calm and clear

farts

will always

be funny

life is easy

i’m safe

for now

i’ve never been to iceland

i hope it’s as amazing

as i imagine it to be

once again

staring

at a screen

yes

maybe

no

on a computer

you can truly

delete something

time is passing

right

now

global warming

every time i breathe

it gets worse

a new day

no plans yet

what to do

a thick grey fog

blending city

and sky

everything

you see

is in the past

summer in new york

please

make it stop

going home

to see christina

smile on my face

waiting for an idea

it’s not here yet

still waiting

a room, almost empty

just a table

and a chair

i try not to worry

but sometimes

it’s just too strong

nothing urgent

just saying hi

no big deal

the smell of pancakes

with apple

and cinnamon

that wonderful place

somewhere between

boredom and stress

storm is coming

dark and loud

no rain yet

is it good

is it bad

at least i tried

not too much

not too little

just right

sent an email

still no answer

what’s wrong?

at the beach

under a big umbrella

staring at the sea

money

more is better

some is ok

in a good mood

for no particular reason

just because

as much as you try

there is always

something

waking up

excited about

breakfast, lunch & dinner

a great idea

wait for it

it’s almost here

computers

should make life

easy

all this stuff

i want to get rid of it

but i can’t

The following conversation was re-published from the book Spheres by Swiss graphic designer Philippe Karrer. Jürg Lehni and I discuss our shared interest in vector graphics, which are based on mathematically-defined geometrical entities such as lines, circles, and points, in contrast with more commonly used bitmap graphics, in which values are assigned to grids of pixels.

Rafaël Rozendaal: Vectors are based on mathematical equations. The equations are perfect. No matter how we try, we can never render a perfect circle in any medium. And even if we did, our imperfect eyes would not be able to register its perfection. Do we have to accept that such shapes can only exist in our mind?

Jürg Lehni: What a start of a conversation! This distinction between the abstract mathematical formulation of geometric shapes, and their realization into concrete, physical forms is pretty much at the core of my fascination (or shall I say obsession?) with vector graphics. The shift is always there, whether it is illuminated pixels being turned on or off, a mark-making tool being moved by motors, or a laser beam being guided by electronically-moved mirrors, burning a line permanently into a physical surface. What it boils down to is the difference between the abstract idea behind something on one hand, and its concrete form when it becomes reality. Plato’s theory of forms comes to mind, with its ideal or archetypal forms that stand behind and define the concrete, physical things.

(More…)

Modern Matter is a magazine focusing on art & fashion.

In this issue a number of artists (Maurizio Cattelan, Bjarne Melgaard, me, …) are interviewed,
talking about what it is like to live and work in New York.

Photos by Phillipe Gerlach.

Composition: the arrangement of elements in time and space.

The browser is very different from other media, especially when it comes to composition. I believe we are at the very beginning of the aesthetic potential of the networked image.

This is an (incomplete) list of compositional characteristics of the browser.

The internet presents artists with challenges, opportunities, and best of all, a lack of history.

The size of a browser can change at any moment. There is no fixed dimension or ratio. Think of an image, that can shrink or expand at any time. Ideally the artwork anticipates every possible dimension. Colors are rendered differently depending on hardware, software and usage. Websites are ubique yet inconsistent in appearance.

There are many kinds of devices. Some have big pixels, some have small pixels. A 1 pixel line on a smartphone is different from a 1 pixel line on an old CRT monitor. The physical experience of each device is unique.

The user is present in the pictorial space. There might be a cursor or finger that can influence the composition. Interaction is not unique to the browser but it is something that is natural to internet users.

Many people at the same time can influence an image. There is a potential for social images that change over time by allowing users to modify an image, like a wikipedia article.

Computers are good at generating random numbers. I’m not sure if those numbers are truly random, but it’s good enough. Each time the artwork is viewed, it can be slightly or dramatically different.

The networked image can keep pulling information from the web. The elements of composition can change all the time, because the web’s content changes all the time.

In the early days of the internet, bandwidth was very limited. This digital frugality created a new visual language.

Browsers do not have the same rendering power as native applications. This is a limitation and an opportunity at the same time. Challenges like these force artists to come up with new solutions.

I work a lot with geometrical images. They are shapes based on mathematical instructions.

You can write down the equation of the circle, and imagine the circle in your mind. In your mind, the circle is absolutely perfect. It is absolutely round.

Unfortunately there is no screen, printer, or natural phenomenon that can render a perfect circle. There will always be some particles bouncing out of place. And even if we did somehow manage to create perfection for a brief moment, our imperfect eyes would not be able to perceive it. Our eyes show us a distorted image that our mind corrects.

Geometrical images are conceptual images, they only really exist in our mind.

Back in 2004 I moved to Los Angeles. I shared a studio with Jonathan Maghen and we started a T-shirt line called Tagbanger.

As artists, we were most excited about creating images. It was a nice form of collaboration, we both created and found images and then we would sit together and review the ideas. Sometimes we would execute the ideas together, sometimes separately. We found a great printer who used waterbased inks, we found a great T-shirt manufacturer, and we had nice labels made.

What we underestimated is that a business requires a lot more than just creating a product.

I tried going to stores to offer them our shirts but I would just feel awkward. And the logistics were not easy either.

We sold quite a few shirts but it never became a big thing that we could do fulltime. I really admire artists who are able to create a business of consumer oriented art products. In simple words: affordable art that anyone can buy.

Below are all the T-shirts we made. It was great fun and we made some money, and I learned a lot.

Brand New: Text Free Browsing, a chrome extension by Rafaël Rozendaal & Jonas Lund.

Text Free Browsing does what the name says: once you install it, you can click on a little nerdy face to turn off all text on the internet. You can turn TextFree on and off on at any moment. Try it!

You can download it for free in the Chrome Web Store

eat more vegetables
eat less meat
make more money
work on my posture
spend more time in nature
have a political opinion
give to charity
fix my parent’s computers
not worry

Installation by Rafaël Rozendaal
Mirrors, computers, projectors.
Museu Imagem e Sol, Sao Paulo, 2012

“Everything Dies”
Exhibition by Rafaël Rozendaal at Kunstverein Arnsberg,
curated by Vlado Velkov, April 2012.

What was the art that captured the spirit of the industrial age?
What will be the art that captures the spirit of the information age?

Should art capture things, freeze them?
A lot of art freezes reality, it makes time stand still so we can have a better look.
Can today’s time still be frozen? Or are things moving too fast?
Or perhaps things are not even moving that fast? Is today that different from 10 years ago?

classic subjects in new formats
new subjects in classic formats
new subjects in new formats
classic subjects in classic formats

Falling Falling with mirrors
installation by Rafaël Rozendaal
at Nordin Gallery Stockholm, November 2011.

Popular Screen Sizes (60″, 55″, 46″, 40″, 32″, 27″, 24″, 21″, 17″, 15″, 13″, 10″, 7″, 3.5″)
installation by Rafaël Rozendaal
at Nordin Gallery Stockholm, November 2011.

Ideally the work is not a manifestation of an idea, the work is the idea.

Am I drawn to it?
Do I feel a strong attraction or connection?
Does it trigger a series of thoughts?
Does it change my thoughts?
Does it set a mood?
Does it amplify my emotions?
Does it encourage me to make something?
Does it provide new information?
Is it beautiful?
Does it intensify perception?
What is the level of abstraction?
Does it awaken memories?
Does it make me curious?
Do I want more of it?
Does it summarize an era?
Is it innovative?
Does it stand out?
Do I remember it after 10 minutes?
Does it surprise me?

oil on canvas, 130 x 89 cm.

Self portrait on Sunset Blvd, 2007