Licia He: I Have To Talk To A Plotter

Through code and machinery, He forges new, meaningful connections in the realm of artistic collaboration. The show features a new collection of mixed-media plotter paintings from the series A Conversation (2024), two further unique works, and a live plotter machine that will create five artworks during the exhibition.
 
Fascinated by the potentialities of human-machine collaboration and inspired by early computer art pioneers like Harold Cohen (1928-2016), Licia He connects her physical and digital practice by materialising code-based generative art with robots. Fuelled by a fervent love for both the arts and mathematics, He embarked on a journey to pursue a PhD in Information Science. This academic pursuit allowed her to delve into the intricacies of data visualisation. Since 2018, the artist has ventured into the realm of web-based generative art, broadening her exploration of technological innovation. Here, she finds greater artistic freedom, weaving intricate compositions of colour and form to evoke mood and emotion. He’s aesthetic of dynamic geometry suggesting musical rhythm and natural light recalls the paintings of Robert Delaunay (1885-1941) and Sonia Delaunay (1885-1979), a style termed Orphic Cubism by French poet and art critic Guillaume Apollinaire in 1912.
 
In the series A Conversation, He presents four plotter-rendered unique generative paintings created using her original Python programming language-based algorithm, Spreading Light. These abstract watercolour artworks, produced in 2024, result from instructions generated by this innovative coding. Utilising Axidraw A1 pen plotters with customised extra-fine brushes and assorted watermedia, He brings these digital designs to life, achieving a harmonious fusion of technology and creativity. One of the standout pieces from this collection, I’d like to talk to the Press, (2024) is a vibrant and intricate plotter painting that captivates with its dynamic interplay of colours and forms, creating a kaleidoscope effect. This artwork features a mesmerising array of swirling patterns and delicate lines, executed with remarkable precision by the plotter. The composition is dominated by a spectrum of vivid hues, ranging from deep indigos and lush greens to bright oranges and rich purples, all seamlessly blended to create a visual symphony.