United States of America

Dev Harlan grew up in Silicon Valley and is self-taught, developing a keen interest in experimental video subcultures at an early age, before taking sporadic courses in computer science at Berkeley, drawing in Santa Cruz, and earth sciences at Columbia. He then began producing works in sculpture, 3D animation, and video projection mapping. His practice explores themes such as posthumanism, anthropogenic transformations, and technological consumption through a combination of object assembly, video projection, and programming. He employs technology in a reflective manner and challenges the dichotomy between human techno-culture and the natural world, drawing on ecocriticism and climate science. His works are conceived as a gateway to the subconscious and suggest the existence of fictional objects endowed with their own radiant power, allowing the viewer’s imagination to speculate on the object’s origins. He draws inspiration from artists such as James Turrell and other figures of the Light and Space movement, who achieved the sublime through a minimalist and radical use of light.

Dev Harlan has exhibited in the United States and internationally, with solo exhibitions at the Christopher Henry Gallery and the Madison Park Gallery in New York, as well as group exhibitions at the Sharjah Art Museum in the United Arab Emirates, “Ideas City” at the New Museum, the SVA Flatiron Gallery, and, more recently, at Art Dubai and the Wrong Biennial. He has completed several notable public art commissions, including an installation at the Los Angeles Central Library and a work for Canon USA. A 2020 finalist for the NYFA Digital Media Arts Fellowship, he also won the Mozaik Artist Grant in 2022 and served as an artist-in-residence at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture and the SVA Sculpture & New Media Residency. His work has been featured in numerous publications and articles, including Rhizome, Wired News, The Creators Project, and Right Click Save.


Dev_Harlan_3D.jpg

Hegemony Of Screensavers (Toubab with Sprint)

Hegemony_Of_Screensavers_Toubab_with_Sprint_Dev_Harlan_3D.mp4

A randomized composition of digital artifacts. Scans of natural stone and found objects. Inefficient GLSL. Screensaver trails. Nonlinear dynamics with Lorenz and Wang-Sun attractors. Distilled hours, days and years.

Narrative Statement:
Suspended in a deep ambivalence. Thulien Pink and Rose Gold. The Earth is red in Senegal. I scanned volcanic outcrops along the coast, clambering about in non-deterministic orbits with a Nikon. A local man arrived and earnestly explained how the rock had a face and it held the spirits of their ancestors. His pained expression made it clear – I was violating the ancestral stone with my camera. I was that plundering colonialist. My first mobile phone was expensive for 1999, around $350. I didn’t need it, I just wanted it. I still have it. These and other artifacts pile up in small collections. Carmine Red, Grey and Platinum.

technique

3d

format

landscape

duration

04:00

year

2023

Transport

WANT TO BRING ART INTO YOUR SPACE?

More from Dev Harlan

More on digital art

Generative art
Generative art refers to a way of creating artworks using an autonomous system. In digital art, these are usually generated from code and algorithms created by the artist, often with certain predefined parameters or systems. Although these parameters guide the final outcome of the work, generative art is generally a surprising way to create artworks, as the results are often unexpected and the number of possible outcomes can be infinite.
AI
AI art is a branch of generative art that uses artificial intelligence. Unlike other generative artworks, AI artworks use specific complex algorithms and models derived from machine learning. The most common methods for creating AI art today are GANs (generative adversarial networks) or proprietary prompting platforms such as ChatGPT, Sora, Midjourney, or Dall-e.
3D
3D art uses 3D software such as Blender, Cinema4D, Houdini, or video game software such as Unity to create works of art. In 3D works, artists can either arrange assets (the 'objects' in a 3D artwork or world) that they have created themselves or purchased from other creators to create elaborate environments and scenes (an approach to 3D art called 'set dressing'), or specialize in sculpting, which involves creating their own objects and assets.
Photogrammetry
Photogrammetry is a specialized 3D technique that allows 3D objects to be created from numerous photographs taken of an object or scene from multiple angles. These photos are then compiled to determine the specific positioning, shape, and dimensions of the object in space, and then converted into a 3D model. Initially developed for engineering and urban planning, photogrammetry has become a way for artists to produce extremely accurate 3D models from real-life images.
Collage
An extension of the traditional, plastic approach to collage, digital collage involves searching for and cutting out multiple images, extracting them from their original context, and recomposing them in a new arrangement to create a work of art. Artists can use their own photographs or find images on the internet.
Illustration
Digital illustrations are created using software such as Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, or Procreate. As with drawing on paper, the artist uses a stylus to sketch a figure or object, usually on a tablet, to construct a scene or artistic universe. Unlike traditional drawing methods, digital illustration is much more forgiving, as mistakes can be easily corrected and drawn elements and objects can be easily moved around within a scene.
Video
Video artworks primarily use a recording camera, but may sometimes include additional post-processing or editing to distort, modify or add additional elements to the image. Some artists use state-of-the-art recording equipment to create macro zoom-ins or time lapses, privileging fidelity to the subject matter. Others use additional softwares to significantly modify or warp the video, creating an alternative perspective on the world that surrounds us.

Collections with the artist

  • Aero_Gardens_III_Dev_Harlan_3D.mp4
    No Planet XYZ
    40 artworks
  • Cloth_String_Gabriel_Morala_3D.mp4
  • Clean_the_world_Nicolas_Monterrat_Collage.mp4
  • Where did you scan from

    RATE YOUR EXPERIENCE