Kate Vass Galerie represents computer art pioneer: Roman Verostko
Kate Vass Galerie is delighted to announce that we will be representing one of the pioneers of computer-generated art, Roman Verostko as a part of the gallery’s curated program.
Roman Verostko, Morning Song, 2010, Unique Plotter Drawing, 83 x 62 cm (Exhibited at “Automat und Mensch” show, in 2019) © Kate Vass Galerie
This is not the first time we have had the opportunity to work with Verostko. In 2019, we exhibited his work at our historic show, “Automat und Mensch”, where we showcased the rich history of the genre. That time we had the honor of displaying a colorful algorithmic plotter drawing, “Morning Song” from 2010, from the “Rocktown Scrolls” series. This year we'll be able to represent the artist's oeuvre with multiple artworks from different periods from the early 1980s until now.
Roman Verostko was born in 1929 in Tarrs, Pennsylvania, and studied art at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Alongside his artistic practice, he studied philosophy, theology, and history, which sparked his interest in spirituality. He became an ordained priest in 1959 at Saint Vincent Archabbey in Pennsylvania, but he didn’t give up pursuing his passion for art. He traveled to New York and Paris to continue studying art history. In 1968, he left his religious life and started experimenting with computers. In 1970, he enrolled in several courses about computer art at Control Data Institute in Minneapolis and MIT’s Center. He was immediately captivated by the possibilities of algorithms executed with computers.
In 1982, Verostko created an interactive program that executed his art-form ideas. “The Hand of Chance” is the name of his generative art program, written in BASIC language with a first-generation IBM PC. Later, Verostko became interested in the printed version of his “Magic Hand of Chance” works. By the end of the 1980s, he had developed a program that controlled the drawing arm of a machine known as a pen plotter, creating intricate and complex drawings that were unlike anything else at the time. This experimental process made a huge impact on his artistic practice for decades. Using this drawing arm, Verostko created visual forms by varying his instructions and drawing each line precisely on rag paper. Sometimes, he also added brushes to the machine to execute paint strokes. He named his software Hodos, which means "path" in Greek and refers to a process of how the strokes follow whatever path the chaotic system makes. He used this tool to create several series, including the "Hodos Correspondence", "Diamond Lake Apocalypse", "Badland Scrolls", and "Ezekiel". These works showcase glyphic texts that try to mimic the visual qualities of language without being one. Later, in the 1990s, he developed a code for generating characters assigned to an alphabet. Many texts were then featured in his series, such as "Flowers of Learning", "Rocktown Scrolls", and "Pearl Park Scriptures."
Verostko has produced a lot of work over the past seventy years, exploring pure abstraction, electronic media, and systems of logic and language. His works can be found in many public and private collections, such as the Block Museum at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL; Spalding University in Louisville, KY; Tama Art University Museum, Tokyo, Japan; Minneapolis Institute of Art; Victoria and Albert Museum in London; Walker Art Center in Minneapolis; and the ZKM: Center for Art and Media in Karlsruhe, Germany. His works have also appeared in over a hundred exhibitions in the world. In 2020, Saint Vincent College opened the Verostko Center for the Arts.
We are excited to showcase Verostko’s oeuvre as a part of the gallery’s curated program. His artistic journey has left an indelible mark on the world of generative art. For further information, do not hesitate to contact us: info@katevassgaleriee.com
