Kjetil Golid

Kjetil Golid is a generative artist and system developer from Norway, with a keen interest in algorithms and data structures. It was this interest that kickstarted his endeavors within generative art, originally using visualization as a tool for understanding various algorithms. These visualization exercises gradually shifted their focus from being pure, "correct" implementations of well-known algorithms, into a more esoteric realm where the underlying structures mostly serve the purpose of making intricate and aesthetic visuals. Today, Kjetil's projects are often initiated by the question "What would it look like if ..."; an unfinished idea of a home-grown algorithm together with a visual translation, where it is unclear how the result will look.

Kjetil wants to share his mindset that programming is a wonderful platform for creative expression and, as such, large parts of his code are open for anyone to explore and manipulate. In addition to making static pieces, he also makes interactive tools for generating visuals without the prerequisite of knowing how to code.

Analog

Art On-Chain

Articles

  • INTERVIEW WITH GENERATIVE ARTIST KJETIL GOLID

    Jason Bailey conducted an interview with generative artist Kjetil Golid, exploring Golid’s open, community-focused approach to generative art. In the conversation, Golid shares how his practice is driven by curiosity, joy, and a fascination with mathematical systems.

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  • THE LASTING LESSONS OF JOHN CONWAY’S GAME OF LIFE

    New York Times publishes an article ‘The Lasting Lessons of John Conway’s Game of Life’ by Siobhan Roberts feat. artworks by generative artist Kjetil Golid, who is part of the Game of Life-emergence in generative art exhibition.

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Exhibitions

  • ART SALON: NODE TO NODE, PARIS, 2023

    In the heart of Paris, we presented Art Salon ‘Node to Node’, which brought together paintings, plotter drawings, post-photography, and site-specific installations by various artists.

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  • EXPANSE BY KJETIL GOLID, ART SG, 2023

    EXPANSE divides the plane into a grid and extrudes each cell of the grid into cuboids of various dimensions. Each face on each cuboid is colored based on its slant, relative to a light source.

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  • ARCHETYPE BY KJETIL GOLID ON DISPLAY AT ZKM CUBE, 2021

    Selected ‘Archetypes’ were showcased on the ZKM Cube as part of their exhibition CryptoArt It’s Not About Money alongside CryptoPunks, Cryptokitties and many other relevant NFT artworks.

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  • PHYGITAL, ZÜRICH, 2022

    PHYGITAL was a an exhibition, above all, an intent to explore important works by generative artists with various implementations, generated by the machine, bit by bit, infusing the pieces with more real-world complexity.

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  • THE GAME OF LIFE - EMERGENCE IN GENERATIVE ART, ZÜRICH, 2021

    This online exhibition is a tribute to the mathematician John Horton Conway and his famous “Game of Life” theory. We have included four generative artists: Jared S Tarbell, Alexander Reben, Kjetil Golid, and Manoloide.

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