A Survey of Recent Practice of Artificial Life in Visual Art

Artif Life. 2024 Feb 1;30(1):106-135. doi: 10.1162/artl_a_00433.

Abstract

Nowadays, interdisciplinary fields between Artificial Life, artificial intelligence, computational biology, and synthetic biology are increasingly emerging into public view. It is necessary to reconsider the relations between the material body, identity, the natural world, and the concept of life. Art is known to pave the way to exploring and conveying new possibilities. This survey provides a literature review on recent works of Artificial Life in visual art during the past 40 years, specifically in the computational and software domain. Having proposed a set of criteria and a taxonomy, we briefly analyze representative artworks of different categories. We aim to provide a systematic overview of how artists are understanding nature and creating new life with modern technology.

Keywords: AI art; ALife art; generative art; nature.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Art*
  • Artificial Intelligence*
  • Artificial Life
  • Computational Biology
  • Synthetic Biology