In writing code for my form-generators I continued the same quest for pure form that I sought in my earlier monastic period. Rather "it is" the reality. One may contemplate visual form the way one might contemplate a seashell or a flower. Such form invites us to be present to its "being here." At its best it may lead us to an expereince that transcends the explainable, the cloud of unknowing.”
- Roman Verostko, 2019
Roman Verostko (born 1929) is an internationally recognized figure in the development of generative, algorithmic art. Unlike many of his contemporaries who came from engineering and computer science backgrounds, Verostko was a Benedictine monk at Saint Vincent Archabbey and a professionally-trained painter and scholar well-versed in the history of art, philosophy, logic, and theology before he started to work with electronic and digital media in the late 1960s.
Curated by Kerry Morgan and Melanie Pankau at Minneapolis College of Art and Design, the exhibition features over seventy original works from Saint Vincent’s holdings, encompassing Verostko’s early screen/video pieces, electronic machines, mural projects, artist books, and newer editioned prints. Rather than a strict chronological retrospective, the exhibition is organized around major themes that appear throughout Verostko’s work, such as his search for pure form, his interest in logic, his merging of eastern and western aesthetics and philosophy, and his understanding of his home “Pathway Studio" as a modern day electronic scriptorium.
A full-color, 168-page exhibition catalog accompanies the retrospective, featuring three essays by leading scholars Christiane Paul (professor in the School of Media Studies at The New School and adjunct curator of New Media Arts at the Whitney Museum of American Art), Grant D. Taylor (professor of Art History at Lebanon Valley College, Pennsylvania) and Bruce Wands (former director, New York Digital Salon and chair of the MFA Computer Art Department at the School of Visual Arts). Read the catalog here.
View Verostko's retrospective exhibition by following the links below:
Curated by Kerry Morgan and Melanie Pankau at Minneapolis College of Art and Design, the exhibition features over seventy original works from Saint Vincent’s holdings, encompassing Verostko’s early screen/video pieces, electronic machines, mural projects, artist books, and newer editioned prints. Rather than a strict chronological retrospective, the exhibition is organized around major themes that appear throughout Verostko’s work, such as his search for pure form, his interest in logic, his merging of eastern and western aesthetics and philosophy, and his understanding of his home “Pathway Studio" as a modern day electronic scriptorium.
A full-color, 168-page exhibition catalog accompanies the retrospective, featuring three essays by leading scholars Christiane Paul (professor in the School of Media Studies at The New School and adjunct curator of New Media Arts at the Whitney Museum of American Art), Grant D. Taylor (professor of Art History at Lebanon Valley College, Pennsylvania) and Bruce Wands (former director, New York Digital Salon and chair of the MFA Computer Art Department at the School of Visual Arts). Read the catalog here.
View Verostko's retrospective exhibition by following the links below:
