Virginia Artist Bård Ionson’s "Vanishing of the Genuine" Illuminates Digital Screens Across Three Continents

Press Releases

Dec 10, 2024

MANASSAS, Va., Dec. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — A Virginia-based artist is making waves internationally, as Bård Ionson—a pioneering figure in AI and generative art—brings his groundbreaking digital art exhibition to thousands of screens across Europe, Africa, and Asia. See more of the art at: https://bardionson.com/art-on-the-streets/

Global Digital Canvas

His latest project “Vanishing of the Genuine” is appearing on more than 10,000 digital screens and billboards in Belgium, Netherlands, Romania, South Africa, and Indonesia between October and December 2024. The project began in his own backyard, with the discovery of a deer skull near home—a pivotal moment that inspired the entire artistic journey.

“Our Virginia setting became the starting point for a global conversation about art, technology, and perception,” Ionson explains.

From Virginia Bones to International Screens

Using bones collected locally and internationally, Ionson creates a unique artistic narrative. He first photographed these bones on analog film, then transformed them through artificial intelligence, challenging viewers’ understanding of reality and representation. Inspired by philosophers and artists like Jean Baudrillard and Georgia O’Keeffe, Ionson’s work explores the concept of “hyperreality”—how technology transforms our perception of the real. His AI-generated images create what he calls a “latent space where reality vanishes.”

Exhibition Highlights

International Digital Exhibitions:

Belgium: 1,000 billboards (October 8-14, 2024)
Netherlands: 3,000 screens (November 18-24, 2024)
Romania: 120 screens (November 11-17, 2024)
South Africa: Multiple screens (November 2024)
Indonesia: 6,126 screens (November 25 – December 1, 2024)

Curated by Art Crush gallery and curator Brian Beccafico (Arthemort) these bones are displayed on screens provided by Clear Channel Belgium, Otego Media Indonesia, Alternative Media Group, Tractor Media South Africa, Phoenix Media Romania, Global Media And Entertainment Netherlands

A Journey of Artistic Innovation

A curated artist on both SuperRare ($RARE) and Art Blocks, Ionson stands among digital art luminaries like XCOPY, Pindar Van Arman, Refik Anadol and other groundbreaking generative artists. Art Blocks, renowned for its innovative generative art platform, has featured Ionson’s work alongside some of the most cutting-edge algorithmic creators in the digital art world.

His artistic journey includes critically acclaimed exhibitions such as:

Painting with Fire (sovrn.art): A landmark exploration of GAN technologies from 2014 to 2023, featuring 200 artworks that chronicled the evolution of synthetic image generation
California Collection: An AI-powered series transforming 2,000 road trip photographs into dreamlike abstractions of California’s landscapes. Featured in REIMAGINE TOMORROW 1954–2024: AI IN CONTEXT #2, an international group exhibition in Essen, Germany as part of AI Biennale, curated by Anika Meier (expanded.art)
Naked Flames: Art created from thousands images of fire and nude paintings exploring human form and technology featured in the exhibition PATH TO THE PRESENT 1954 – 2024 in Berlin

With works in prestigious collections including the Oxford Bodleian Weston Library and the NFT wallet of Centre Pompidou, Paris, Ionson has established himself as a key innovator at the intersection of art, technology, and philosophy.

About the Artist

Bård Ionson is an interdisciplinary artist whose work critically examines the intersections of technology, perception, and philosophical inquiry. A pioneer in crypto and generative art since 2018, he transforms found objects and cutting-edge technology into profound artistic statements from his Virginia home.

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