Zen Materialist

Michael Hafftka just did something very few living painters would ever do: He released nearly 4,000 paintings from a 50-year practice as an open dataset. @margotneo dug into the data set and shared some thoughts. Definitely worth a read. margotneoartdiscovery.substack.com/p/michael-haff…

Today I'm announcing the themes for our upcoming open source AI art competition, The Arca Gidan Prize! The meta-theme for this edition is Time. Our goal is to push people toward the unconventional. We've all seen many AI movie trailers, commercials and music videos - but what can you do with AI that's genuinely new and different? What was impossible before? How can you push open models beyond what people expect? Without further ado, here are the sub-themes: 🔄 Déjà Vu "This has happened before — or has it? That uncanny shimmer when moments echo: the glitch, the loop. When time spirals back through existence and ripples with recognition." 🌸 The Briefness of Bloom "A moment when something is perfectly itself — just before it fades. The cherry blossom at peak. The golden hour before dusk. So luminous as it slips away, already a memory." ⏱️ Traveling Through Time "Traveling through time — backward, forward, sideways. The time traveler, the archaeologist, the prophet. Journeys to moments that never were or haven't happened yet." For full details on prizes and rules, check out: - The Arca Gidan Discord: discord.gg/Yj7DRvckRu - The website: arcagidan.com As mentioned before, the current prize fund is $50k, paid for by the fees I received from the $dataclaw token. Any further fees I receive will be added to the prize fund - we'll keep adding $1k prizes for each full $1k we receive. Finally, please enjoy this theme trailer by @hannahsubmarine:

ARtivism 2026 36 artworks of 36 incredible artists have been chosen for the upcoming AR exhibition during SXSW in Austin, Texas. Congratulations to all artists. balanced-forces.com/austin-2026/ The featured pictures will be replaced by real footages of the exhibition asap.

OPEN CALL @theHUGart Augmented Reality exhibition in Austin, Texas | March 2026 OC closes: March 12th, 2026 Event Live during SXSW - Public Viewing Party on March 17th/18th in Austin, Texas

We’re closing submissions for ARtivism, our upcoming Augmented Reality exhibition in Austin during SXSW 2026 — and if you’ve been considering applying, this is your moment. In about a week, applications shut down. Balanced Forces places art directly into public space using AR. No booths. No walls. No waiting for permission. Austin becomes the site. The city becomes the exhibition. Your work lives in the streets, accessible to anyone with a phone. If you’ve been watching the shift toward AR and public digital exhibition, this is not theoretical anymore. It’s happening. Artists who step in now position themselves inside the next phase of exhibition infrastructure. Artists who wait will be watching it unfold without them. You do not need prior AR experience. You do not need to be technical. You do need to act. We’re inviting digital artists, traditional artists, AI artists, photographers, video creators, animators, mixed-media and 3D artists ready to experiment with how audiences encounter their work. Full Open Call details and submission link: hug.art/open-calls/ARt… If you’re unsure about the tech, eligibility, or how to prepare your submission — reach out directly. We’re actively supporting applicants through the process. This deadline is real. Austin is next. SXSW visibility is significant. Public AR is expanding quickly. If your work belongs in that conversation, don’t let this pass. 💕🕯️🍪-jbr