I am an artist and researcher whose work explores the playful creative possibilities of computation. My ongoing project, Daily Sketches, comprises computational sketches I create daily, where I seek to uncover meaning in the mundane, discover surprises in simplicity, and find poetry within algorithms. The 2022 compilation from this project was published in the proceedings of the 16th International Symposium on Visual Information Communication and Interaction (VINCI ‘23).

My work has been exhibited at venues like Shenzhen Design Week, Shanghai Science Expo, and Shanghai Education Expo in China, as well as the Sikka Art and Design Festival in the UAE, the React Summit and JSNation Conferences in the Netherlands, the ITP/IMA Spring and Winter Shows in the US, among others. I have conducted workshops globally at DigitalFUTURES and Dubai Design Week, and delivered a feature presentation at Zaojiu in China.

Currently, I serve as an adjunct professor at NYU Tisch, teaching programming and machine learning as mediums for creative expression.

If you would like to know more about me, check out my CV, or drop me a line at hi@jackbdu.com.

Artist Statement

In a world where generative artificial intelligences strive for the highest degree of precision and realism, my artistic practice deliberately accentuates the flaws of our visual perception, embracing the beauty of ambiguity and unexpectedness.

Inspired by Chuck Close’s mosaic-style paintings and Danny Rozin’s pixel-based mechanical mirrors, my artwork often deconstructs visuals into pixelated fragments—whether it’s through thousands of Chinese characters in a virtual mirror or the intricate scribbles drawn by a mobile robot.

Trained in computer science, I speak in the language of computer programming. I use code not much differently from how a painter uses a paintbrush, layering lines, shapes, and colors to form images. In my interactive works, I invite viewers to engage directly, to become a part of the art itself.