Pera Museum’s September exhibition showcases ‘algorithmic art’

ISTANBUL : The Suna and Inan Kiraç Foundation Pera Museum is preparing to welcome the fall season with an exhibition titled “Accounts and Coincidences: Algorithmic Art from the Hungarian National Bank Collection.”

The show features work by three algorithmic and computer art pioneers: Dora Maurer, Vera Molnar and Gizella Rakoczy. The exhibition, part of the 2024 Hungarian-Turkish Cultural Year, will focus on Molnar’s significant impact on computer art while also exploring how Maurer and Rakoczy’s artistic practices have expanded the boundaries of abstraction through the integration of computers, algorithms and mathematics. The exhibition will open on Sept. 19 and will be open to visitors until Jan. 26.

Works of 3 pioneers

Opening on Sept. 19, the exhibition will highlight Molnar’s significant influence on computer art while also tracing how Maurer and Rakoczy have extended the boundaries of abstraction through the integration of computers, algorithms and mathematics. “Accounts and Coincidences” provides an opportunity to witness how these artists have shaped algorithmic and abstract art.

Blending science, art

Vera Molnar, who began working with computers in 1968, expanded the boundaries of science and art by using the computer as an artistic tool. Molnar’s works, which she continued to create until her passing at 99 last year, feature algorithmic randomness and are nourished by dualities such as order and disorder, structure and freedom.

Dora Maurer, who explored the tools and forms of mathematics and music from the 1970s onward, is known for her work with precise and defined structures. Her artworks are characterized by practices of counting and organizing irregular sets into order.

Gizella Rakoczy, a prominent figure in geometric art, investigated the movements and series probabilities of four-armed spirals from 1976 onward. Her watercolor paintings, which use the Fibonacci series formula to layer tones of transparent paint, reflect Rakoczy’s consistent, systematic and structure-focused approach. Rakoczy passed away in 2015.

The “Accounts and Coincidences” exhibition aims to strengthen cultural ties between Türkiye and Hungary and is realized in collaboration with the Hungarian National Bank.

Courtesy: Dailysabah