KEVIN ABOSCH

PROJECTS

VOTE, 2023

Kevin Abosch's "VOTE" invites viewers to participate as witting and unwitting voters in a decision-making process, through interaction with a series of chalky, white, wall-mounted, monolithic structures.
For the occasion of NOISE Istanbul, the artist takes on the performative role of poll-worker by embedding himself discreetly near 3 “voting booths” observing and collecting data pertaining to how “citizens” engage with the “voting booths.” At the close of the fair, Abosch will take this largely speculative and incomplete data, presenting 3 colorful and detailed visual abstractions that will be minted as ERC-721 Ethereum NFT’s.

View work

AI MADE ME, 2023

**AI MADE ME,** a painting by **Kevin Abosch,** through its structured progression of 18 stages and 11 layers, integrates traditional artistry with AI-driven insights.

View Work

RAY-D OH! AKTIV, 2022

Browse the unique print + NFT HERE!
Browse the Plush Toys HERE!

Cryptosenshi #NFT by artist "Reigai" Edition of 20

**TOKYO, Japan** - World-renowned conceptual artist **Kevin Abosch** (kevinabosch.com) is the creative director for Japanese anime/manga brand **CRYPTOSENSHI**. Coinciding with the public announcement of the manga (comic book) which will be released Spring 2021, Abosch has created two limited edition digital artworks in the form of **NFT**(Non-fungible token) on the blockchain. CRYPTOSENSHI (暗号戦士, pronounced “Ango-senshi” in Japanese) are cryptographic warriors that battle in the digital realm while a proxy war takes place in the “real world.”
Abosch explains: “We are living in a world in which truth can be subverted by those leveraging technology to weaponize data — Humans with the help of benevolent AI are in the midst of a war to mitigate the deleterious effects of disinformation. It’s epic, it’s romantic and it’s our future. Cryptosenshi are heroes that empower us to find a truth, even if it’s fleeting.”
***Buy NFT (digital work) here***

Cryptosenshi #NFT by artist "Impossible" Edition of 20

TOKYO, Japan - World-renowned conceptual artist Kevin Abosch (kevinabosch.com) is the creative director for Japanese anime/manga brand CRYPTOSENSHI. Coinciding with the public announcement of the manga (comic book) which will be released Spring 2021, Abosch has created two limited edition digital artworks in the form of NFT(Non-fungible token) on the blockchain. CRYPTOSENSHI (暗号戦士, pronounced “Ango-senshi” in Japanese) are cryptographic warriors that battle in the digital realm while a proxy war takes place in the “real world.”
Abosch explains: “We are living in a world in which truth can be subverted by those leveraging technology to weaponize data — Humans with the help of benevolent AI are in the midst of a war to mitigate the deleterious effects of disinformation. It’s epic, it’s romantic and it’s our future. Cryptosenshi are heroes that empower us to find a truth, even if it’s fleeting.”
Buy NFT (digital art work) here

Featured

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Nail S2, 2019

Archival Pigment Print

GAN trained on artist's own photographs of bent nails

Size: 17" x 17"

Exhibited at “Automat und Mensch” show, Zürich, Kate Vass Galerie, 2019

I AM A COIN, 2018

Signed in marker on front by the artist
Mylar foil pouch, marker, artist's blood, cotton cloth
Size: 12 x 22 cm

Exhibited at “Perfect and Priceless” show, Zürich, Kate Vass Galerie, 2018-2019

Description:

In the aftermath of the sale of photograph “Potato #345” in 2015 for €1 million conceptual artist Kevin Abosch found the attention migrating from the artistic value of his work to the monetary value. In response to feeling like he was being treated like a commodity, Abosch decided to tokenize himself on the Ethereum blockchain, effectively creating 10 million virtual artworks entitled IAMACOIN. He also made 100 physical works on paper stamped using the artist's own blood, with the IAMACOIN contract address comprised of 42 alphanumerics, corresponding to the creation of the the 10 million virtual works.

The virtual works are standard ERC-20 tokens and token owners are free to share these artworks and even divide them into smaller pieces before sharing. Indeed, they are divisible to 18 decimal places.

Abosch says, “While the virtual work could exist without the creation of the physical work, the physical artworks could not have a meaningful existence were it not for the creation of the virtual artworks. In this sense, the work mirrors the unidirectional mechanism of a cryptographic algorithm — With a private key you can deduce the wallet address, but with the wallet address you cannot deduce the private key.”

In 2018, The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, Russia showed Abosch’s installation “Personal Effects”, five canvas sacs imprinted with blockchain wallet addresses, each containing a quantity of IAMA Coins but because the private keys to these wallets have not been saved, they are virtually dead. Abosch sees these virtual artworks as pieces of himself and therefore exist as relics or personal effects.

In “Perfect & Priceless” Abosch presents a Mylar-foil pouch containing a piece of cotton cloth impregnated with the artist’s own blood. The declaration “I AM A COIN” is written on the front of the pouch along with the blockchain contract address for IAMACOIN.

PRICELESS, 2018

Signed in pencil by the artists on front
Archival pigment on paper
43 x 127 cm
2 of 3 unique pieces

Exhibited at “Perfect and Priceless” show, Zürich, Kate Vass Galerie, 2018-2019

Description:

Abosch has been using blockchain addresses as proxies to distill emotional value for some time now, and with Weiwei has “tokenized” their priceless shared moments together such as "sharing tea" or "talking about the art market" are the building blocks of human experience. All moments in life are priceless. Each priceless moment is represented by a unique blockchain address which is “inoculated” by a small amount of a virtual artwork (crypto-token) we created called "PRICELESS" (symbol: PRCLS). Only 2 ERC20 tokens were created for the project, but as they are divisible to 18 decimal places, these works of virtual art could potentially be distributed to billions of people. Furthermore, a very limited series of physical prints were made.

The digital works, the PRICELESS token (symbol: PRCLS) is an ERC20 token on the Ethereum Blockchain. Only 2 tokens were created for the project, but as they are divisible to 18 decimal places, these works of virtual art could potentially be distributed to billions of people.

The physical works feature blockchain contract address alphanumerics. Each wallet is filled with a nominal amount of PRCLS token, validating the wallet and symbolically inoculating the moment. An ethereum wallet is used for sending and receiving the Ether currency. Each wallet has a long address, similar to a bank account number. The difference between a contract address and a personal wallet address is that contract addresses can also receive data.

The Size of the Holes

from PRICELESS project by Kevin Abosch & Ai Weiwei

These works feature blockchain wallet-address alphanumerics representing different "priceless moments" shared between the artists. Each wallet is filled with a nominal amount of PRCLS token, validating the wallet and symbolically inoculating the moment.

Edition 3 + 2 AP

VOTE, 2023

Monoliths

Unique

Available in three sizes:

small: 15 x 14 x 10 cm, PRICE: 1.5 ETH
medium: 30 x 50 x 10 cm, PRICE: 3 ETH
big: 60 x 60 x 14 cm, PRICE: 5 ETH

Kevin Abosch's "VOTE" invites viewers to participate as witting and unwitting voters in a decision-making process, through interaction with a series of chalky, white, wall-mounted, monolithic structures.

Each monolith, with its scarred surface, bears alphanumerics on two opposing sides, representing different voting options for the viewer to consider. The act of choosing is made physical and explicit, as visitors interact passively with these symbols, drawing them into a silent dialogue of choice and consequence.

At NOISE Media Art Fair, the artist embeds himself discreetly near 3 “voting booths” observing and collecting data pertaining to how “citizens” engage with the “voting booths.” In some instances, participants knowingly interact with the alphanumerics, their choices clear and deliberate. In other cases, the process remains unknown to them, with their unconscious behaviors and movements subtly interpreted as votes. At the close of the fair, Abosch will take this largely speculative and incomplete data, presenting 3 colorful and detailed visual abstractions that will be minted as ERC-721 Ethereum NFTs.

"VOTE" is an exploration of the visible and the hidden in our decision-making processes. It questions the nature of choice, agency, and the unseen influences in our lives. These works stand as a thought-provoking commentary on the act of voting, both in the literal sense and in the broader context of our everyday choices.

Abosch challenges viewers to reflect on the impact of their actions, both conscious and unconscious. The exhibition, in its stark simplicity and interactive nature, becomes a powerful space for introspection and dialogue about the choices we make and the forces that shape them.

AI MADE ME, 2023

Size: 130x195cm

Acrylic and Graphite on Canvas

Signed

Accompanied by a unique NFT

AI MADE ME, a painting by Kevin Abosch, through its structured progression of 18 stages and 11 layers, integrates traditional artistry with AI-driven insights. The presence of encrypted alphanumerics in the layers, subsequently obscured, hints at the complexity of this collaboration. The influence of diffusion models in determining large portions of the artwork underscores the artist's exploration of relinquishing some level of control to AI algorithms. The title, while overtly referencing AI's role, also invites deeper contemplation about agency and creation in an AI-centric era. Abosch has said that “Once the artist comes under the influence of the machine, they are changed forever,” adding, “The challenges and nuances of integrating AI tools within the artistic process are unique, and can engage the ego of the artist in novel ways.” The painting's dominant use of yellow and black, a familiar palette for Abosch, nature's warning colors, subtly alludes to the potential ramifications of our growing dependence on AI, and the need to remain vigilant.

Collective Unconscious, 2022

Unique Print accompanied by an NFT

Signed by the artist

Print size: 200 x 300 cm

Series: RAY-D OH! AKTIV

Still image NFT, Edition of 3 + 2AP

Price: 3 ETH or CHF

Series: RAY-D OH! AKTIV

Link on OpenSea: https://opensea.io/assets/ethereum/0xac2b4956f54f9f1c51c1ecfc8391756b30aed736/1

List of works:

1. Collective Unconscious, 2022

Ed. 1/3: https://opensea.io/assets/ethereum/0xac2b4956f54f9f1c51c1ecfc8391756b30aed736/4

2. Supernova, 2022,

Ed.2/3: https://opensea.io/assets/ethereum/0xac2b4956f54f9f1c51c1ecfc8391756b30aed736/11

3. Generative Installation I., 2022,

Ed. 2/3: https://opensea.io/assets/ethereum/0xac2b4956f54f9f1c51c1ecfc8391756b30aed736/2

4. Endless Summer, 2022

Ed. 1/3: https://opensea.io/assets/ethereum/0xac2b4956f54f9f1c51c1ecfc8391756b30aed736/13

5. Once Again, Entropy, 2022,

Ed. 1/3: https://opensea.io/assets/ethereum/0xac2b4956f54f9f1c51c1ecfc8391756b30aed736/7

6. Stairway Pilgrimage, 2022,

Ed. 2/3: https://opensea.io/assets/ethereum/0xac2b4956f54f9f1c51c1ecfc8391756b30aed736/17

7. Symposium, 2022

Ed. 1/3: https://opensea.io/assets/ethereum/0xac2b4956f54f9f1c51c1ecfc8391756b30aed736/22

8. Dahlia, 2022

Ed. 1/3: https://opensea.io/assets/ethereum/0xac2b4956f54f9f1c51c1ecfc8391756b30aed736/25

Video work, NFT, Edition of 3 + 2AP

9. Decommissioned, 2022,

Ed. 1/3: https://opensea.io/assets/ethereum/0xac2b4956f54f9f1c51c1ecfc8391756b30aed736/19

Price: 6 ETH or 9000 CHF

Please find the complete gallery of artworks with titles at the bottom of the page

ABOUT THE SERIES:

Conceptual artist Kevin Abosch explores the emotionally charged iconography of both nuclear energy and nuclear weaponry using proprietary and off-the-shelf machine-learning tools to create a body of work comprised of synthetic imagery and product design. In 2013, Abosch’s Intimate Portraits of Killing Machines appealed to the viewer to engage with his mannered photographs of weapons of war and see themselves reflected in the work. 10 years later the artist asks us to take a step back when viewing the synthetic photographs in Ray-D Oh! Aktiv and allow the nostalgia of nuclear aesthetics to mingle with the fascination we have with technology that can sustain or obliterate. Abosch has also produced a very limited number of plush-toys in the shape of nuclear missiles fostering intimacy with the unthinkable.

RAY-D OH! AKTIV (Plush toy), 2022

AI-generated Plush Toys

Edition: Edition of 300 (100 each)

(The price does not include shipping)

Conceptual artist Kevin Abosch explores the emotionally charged iconography of both nuclear energy and nuclear weaponry using proprietary and off-the-shelf machine learning tools to create a body of work comprised of synthetic imagery and product design. In 2013, Abosch’s Intimate Portraits of Killing Machines appealed to the viewer to engage with his mannered photographs of weapons of war and see themselves reflected in the work. 10 years later the artist asks us to take a step back when viewing the synthetic photographs in Ray-D Oh! Aktiv and allow the nostalgia of nuclear aesthetics to mingle with the fascination we have with technology that can sustain or obliterate. Abosch has also produced a very limited number of plush-toys in the shape of nuclear missiles fostering an intimacy with the unthinkable.

“Self portrait?” (2019-2020)
From upcoming book “Nascent Space”

unique 1/1 + AP (for museum exhibitions only)

Untitled (2019) / generative photograph from “Nascent Space” (2019-2020)
archival pigment print on Hahnemühle baryta
17 x 22 in (43.2 x 55.9 cm)
unique 1/1 + AP (for museum exhibitions only)

Camera (2019)
From upcoming book “Nascent Space” (2019-2020)
archival pigment print on Hahnemühle baryta
17 x 22 in (43.2 x 55.9 cm)
unique 1/1 + AP (for museum exhibitions only)

Never say clever (2019) / generative photograph
archival pigment print on Hahnemühle baryta
17 x 22 in (43.2 x 55.9 cm)
unique 1/1 + AP (for museum exhibitions only)

Cash AOC (2019) / generative photograph from “Nascent Space”
archival pigment print on Hahnemühle baryta
17 x 22 in (43.2 x 55.9 cm)
unique 1/1 + AP (for museum exhibitions only)

НАЛ (Cash) (2020) / generative photograph from “Nascent Space” (2019-2020)
archival pigment print on Hahnemühle baryta
17 x 22 in (43.2 x 55.9 cm)
unique 1/1 + AP (for museum exhibitions only)