The autumn season at the Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation Pera Museum is marked by a groundbreaking exhibition, “Calculations and Coincidences: Algorithmic Art from the Central Bank of Hungary Collection.” This exhibition shines a spotlight on three Hungarian artists – Dóra Maurer, Vera Molnár, and Gizella Rákóczy – who are pivotal figures in the realm of algorithmic and computer art. As part of the 2024 Hungarian-Turkish Cultural Year, the exhibition delves into how these pioneers utilized computers, algorithms, and mathematics to redefine abstract art, effectively wielding the digital age’s tools to fuel their artistic innovation.
The Pera Museum’s latest offering, Calculations and Coincidences: Algorithmic Art from the Central Bank of Hungary Collection, curated by Kinga Rózsa Hamvai, invites visitors to explore the fascinating intersection of art, science, and mathematics. Among the featured artists, Vera Molnár stands out as a central figure, a true pioneer of algorithmic and computer art, alongside the significant contributions of Dóra Maurer and Gizella Rákóczy.
Unveiling Algorithmic Art: Order, Disorder, and the Digital Canvas
“Calculations and Coincidences” is more than just an art exhibition; it’s a journey into the heart of abstraction and algorithmic art. It showcases how Maurer, Molnár, and Rákóczy masterfully blend artistic expression with mathematical principles, navigating the delicate balance between order and chaos. Their works not only highlight their individual innovative approaches but also underscore Hungary’s long-standing tradition of embracing exploration and innovation within this artistic domain, dating back to the early 20th century.
Kinga Rózsa Hamvai, the exhibition curator, articulates the core aim of “Calculations and Coincidences” as presenting the distinct yet interconnected bodies of work shaped by mathematical patterns and serial orders of these three artists. She seeks to illuminate the common threads running through their practices: the systematic application of rules and principles, analytical thinking applied to structures and sequences, and the persistent pursuit of artistic freedom. Hamvai notes the timeless quality of these artists, stating, “How does artistic subject, the possibility of free choice, surprise or chance, appear in these demanding systems of mathematical rigour? What answers can be given to the “accusation” of the dehumanisation of art? Each artist here offers different timeless responses while employing different strategies, such as choosing from the countless variations generated by an algorithm, deviating from the pattern, painting freehand, using colours as elements of a mathematical system or even randomly choosing colours.”
Vera Molnár: A True Algorithmic Art Pioneer
When considering Who Is A Pioneer Of Algorithmic Art, Vera Molnár’s name undoubtedly comes to the forefront. She began her pioneering journey with computers in the early 1960s, a time when these machines were still nascent and largely unexplored as artistic tools. Molnár’s groundbreaking work has earned her recognition in prestigious art institutions globally, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Centre Pompidou, and the Venice Biennale. She herself described her artistic space as existing “between the three con’s”: conceptualists, constructivists, and computer artists, highlighting her unique position in the art world.
From 1946 onwards, Molnár dedicated herself to non-figurative and geometric forms. By 1959, she was already experimenting with combinatorial images and mathematically-modeled laws through her “machine imaginaire” – a concept she borrowed from composer Michel Philippot. The exhibition features two significant oil paintings from this period, “Squaring the Circle” (1962-1964) and “Ikons” (1962–1966), showcasing her early exploration of these ideas. Molnár’s “imaginary machine” method was characterized by creating sequences step-by-step, freehand, guided by simple algorithms. Her “Slow Rotating Movement” (1957-2013) series perfectly illustrates this, demonstrating the interplay of artistic freedom and mathematical constraints through the gradual transformation of a simple line.
1968 marked a turning point when Molnár gained access to a “machine réelle” – a real computer – which revolutionized her artistic process. She began producing art directly with computer assistance, developing the Molnárt System with her husband François Molnár. This system was a revolutionary method for revealing algorithmic processes in art, where she sought artistic ‘beauty’ by introducing “1% disorder” – a slight deviation in color, direction, or line thickness – into an otherwise ordered structure. This concept is further exemplified in works like “Hypertransformation” (1976) and “Square Structures” (1987), demonstrating her characteristic “interrogation” of forms. Starting with regular squares, minimal parametric variations, including curved displacements, led to “complex disorder,” showcasing the potential for unexpected beauty within structured systems.
Molnár’s “Electra” (1983) series, a collection of color prints inspired by Claude Monet’s “Impression of the Rising Sun” (1872), stands as a compelling exploration of the evolving relationship between electronics and artistic expression. Her contributions to art were recognized in 2007 with the Order of Arts and Letters from the French Ministry of Culture. Remarkably, Vera Molnár remained active and innovative until her passing in December 2024, just before her 100th birthday, even venturing into the NFT space in collaborations with generative artist Martin Grasser, proving her enduring relevance in the digital art world.
Dóra Maurer: Mathematics and the Art of Movement
Dóra Maurer, another Hungarian art luminary featured in the exhibition, boasts a career spanning over five decades. Her work, exhibited at leading institutions like the Tate Modern and the Ludwig Museum, encompasses graphics, photography, film, and painting. Maurer’s artistic focus revolves around movement, variability, and mathematical sequences, with measurement, proportions, and mathematics serving as recurring themes. She describes her creative process as “thematising the structure,” explaining, “I set up a model situation in which several elements … are present and I let them interact with each other using an appropriate guideline of orders. Whatever is created, I continue to observe it, and if possible, I continue to shape it.”
Maurer’s film “Learned Involuntary Movements” (1973) exemplifies her thematic exploration of sequence and variation through repeated involuntary actions, highlighting her systematic approach to incorporating randomness in art. Her film “Timing” (1973–1980), also featured in the exhibition, further develops her concept of structure. From the 1980s, Maurer transitioned towards painting, notably with her “As You Like” series. These works, featuring geometric grids in varying colors, explore the shifting perception of colors through the interplay of plane and space. “As You Like 12” (1990) and “As You Like 54” (2009), both on display, exemplify her use of mathematical color arrangements and geometric forms. Her “Overlappings” series, initiated in the late 1990s, takes her grid-based explorations further, curving the grid fields and layering them with color to create pseudo-transparent, shifting fields as the central motif.
Gizella Rákóczy: Geometric Precision and Fibonacci Spirals
Gizella Rákóczy, a prominent figure in geometric art, began her artistic journey into the movements and serial possibilities of four-armed spirals in 1976. Her work, “Four Armed Spirals’ Direction of Rotation” (1978–1979), presented in the exhibition, demonstrates her “combinatorial” approach to investigating these structures within a system of four-armed spirals.
After 1998, Rákóczy shifted from tempera paintings to watercolor, using the Fibonacci sequence to layer translucent paint shades. “4 Tones of 4 Colours” (1998) illustrates her systematic color arrangements to achieve aesthetic results. “24N” (2002), another work inspired by the Fibonacci sequence, showcases the almost infinite color variations achievable across 24 panels. From 2000 onwards, Rákóczy explored the labyrinth of Cretan lines, examining the relationship between this ancient symbol, geometric forms, and mathematical structures. “4-Colour Labyrinth” (2005) stands as a significant example of how she transformed this symbolic structure into an artistic exploration.
Experience Algorithmic Art at Pera Museum
“Calculations and Coincidences: Algorithmic Art from the Central Bank of Hungary Collection,” with exhibition design by Yelta Köm (Studio No Frame) and graphic and catalog design by Esen Karol, offers a unique opportunity to witness the groundbreaking work of Vera Molnár, Dóra Maurer, and Gizella Rákóczy. The exhibition is open until January 26, 2025, on the 4th and 5th floors of Pera Museum.
Pera Museum welcomes visitors from 10:00 to 19:00, Tuesday through Saturday, and 12:00 to 18:00 on Sundays. Admission is free on Fridays from 18:00 to 22:00 during “Long Friday” and for students every Wednesday as part of “Young Wednesday.” Don’t miss this chance to delve into the world of algorithmic art and discover the pioneers who shaped its trajectory.
