Hello Brooklyn // Techspressionism 2024 – Installation view with Curator Tommy Mintz

Curator’s Statement: The Story of Techspressionism by Tommy Mintz

Once upon a time, artist Colin Goldberg came up with the term “Techspressionism,” a commingling of the words ”technology” and “Expressionism”. In 2020, he was encouraged by art historian Helen Harrison to develop an artist group around the idea.

Colin began using the term as a hashtag on Instagram, commenting “#techspressionism 🔥🔥🔥” on work that he thought to “fit the bill.”  He also encouraged artists who identified with the term to use the hashtag themselves by adding it to their own posts. This curatorial mechanism of self-identification led to the development of an international artist index, which is currently curated by artist Renata Janiszewka. Largely through social media, Techspressionism has developed into an international “social sculpture.”

Over the pandemic, this global group of artists began to meet weekly on Zoom in online “Techspressionist Salons” which provided a platform for them to share their work and discuss the ideas behind it.  In 2020, artist Davonte Bradley proposed recording these meetups and publishing them to YouTube. Since then, over 85 Salons have been recorded and archived for viewing on the Techspressionism website. This archive serves as an extraordinary resource for anyone conducting research on the Techspressionist community and recent developments in digital art.  These Zoom meetups are open to all who are interested and are currently conducted on the first Thursday of each month at noon EST.

The Salons led to the establishment of a community YouTube channel, including a series of interviews spearheaded by artist Roz Dimon and more recently, the organization of roundtable discussions proposed by artist Michael Pierre Price.

Techspressionism is not any one thing, but rather the amalgam of an artistic approach and an artistic community.  As artists working in technology, Techspressionists consider the universal question of the effects of technology on how we think and act. Due to technology, information onslaught and diminished time for quiet contemplation are a common experience.  This community of artists explores this current human condition. Each artist’s methods and expression of this inquiry are enlivening, and touch on both the universal and individual experience of the artist.   Every digital work begins as an empty space which is then somehow filled by the artist. Digital artists use brush strokes, algorithms, and cameras to create meaning in their particular arrangements of pixels.

Since its inception, the community has progressed to develop both online and physical exhibitions. These have included a large group show in 2022 at the Southampton Arts Center in Southampton, New York, and now the first museum exhibition of Techspressionist artworks here at the Kingsborough Art Museum in Brooklyn.

This exhibition aims to inspire students at Kingsborough Community College and beyond with new ideas of art and the expressive possibilities of technology. The show encompasses prints, paintings, on-screen artwork, Augmented Reality, sculpture, and live performances made by a diverse range of artists who identify with the community of Techspressionism.

Thank you: co-curators Oceania Andres, Seungjin Lee, and Giovanna Sun. Special thank you at Kingsborough to KAM Director Brian Hack, Wanda Morales and Mabel Chee in the Office for College Advancement, Art Department Chairs Tom Eaton and Sarah Dillon, and Assistant Vice President & Chief Information Officer Asif Hussain.  Also, a huge thank you to Colin Goldberg and Renata Janiszewska for all your help and support in creating this exhibition. Without you, this would not have been possible. Thank you!

Tommy Mintz, Exhibition Curator
New York, New York
July 2024

more writings