Pascal Dombis
b. 1965, French
Pascal Dombis is a French contemporary artist whose work is embedded in computer algorithms. He started digital work in the 1990s, before the popularization of the Internet, and discovered that a mere repetition of a simple programming code could give life to an infinite multiplicity of visual images. From these ideas, Dombis works by weaving ordinary lines, words, and images together, overlapping and juxtaposing them in multiple layers.
The elements in his work collide along the viewer’s gaze, creating a "fractal phenomenon," a structure in which a simple shape is constantly repeated as an overall pattern. He not only utilizes physics and programming as the infrastructure of his art but also implements the "lenticular technique," in which an image transfigures relative to the position of the gaze through the refraction of a fine lens. Unfettered, he freely uses various techniques to expand the flat world of images into three dimensions and has a unique visual language that exhibits the process, not the result of creation.
The rippling waves in Dombis’ works resemble contemporary society: The overflow of images and information, appearances that change according to the viewer, and above all, the unintended phenomena that occur in the process manifest in the mental space he creates. The beautiful rules created by the chaos of multiplication and repetition show the inseparable relationship between order and disorder, the intertwining of reason and irrationality.
Met with critical acclaim in France and New York, Dombis continues to transcend human-made culture and history. He is still ardently active, holding solo and group exhibitions in Shanghai, Taiwan, France, and Brazil. His works are housed in several collections, including the Museum of Fine Arts Budapest, the Block Museum of Art in Illinois, and the Palazzo Bricherasio in Italy.
Selected Works
