Manfred Mohr

Since 1968 I’ve worked exclusively on computers and therefore use a programming language to conceive my works. Thanks to this very radical approach to artistic output, which I feel is a major contribution that I’ve made to system-based art, I’ve discovered a new, surprising way to reflect upon my own oeuvre. The computer has become a physical and mental extension of myself in the process of creating my artworks.

Visual artists usually rely on their visual knowledge of things when creating. Their production of visual images is nevertheless limited by subjective experience and personal preferences, yielding imprecise and fragmentary results.

Programming, in fact, has the advantage of allowing us to see not only the whole, but also to understand the minute details of an idea. My explorations focus on the logical content of an idea and on the development of rules that can consequently describe this idea.
Manfred Mohr

Manfred Mohr

Manfred Mohr’s first solo show of computer-calculated and created works was held at l’ARC, Paris, in 1971 (Une Esthétique Programmée, exh. cat., Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, May 11–June 6, 1971). Today this crucial exhibition is generally referred to as “an historic event.”