AI Hokusai: Legacy Encoded
Multiplatform Exhibition Uniting Past and Future
About
AI HOKUSAI is a radical research and residency initiative that combines Hokusai's revolutionary pedagogical methods with cutting-edge tech to explore how artificial intelligence will shape the future of creativity. By evoking Hokusai’s spirit of curiosity and openness to transformation, the project raises questions about authorship, perception, and the evolving role of technology in creative practice. It challenges the binary of old versus new, inviting us into a hybrid dimension shaped by brushstrokes and code.
During its year-and-a-half of existence, the project has achieved significant milestones. In 2024, organizers launched an open call for artists to train neural networks on the legacy of Hokusai – followed by another open call for the online residency/laboratory. Eight artists, selected from over 400 applicants representing more than 60 countries and working in various media, were chosen to participate. While the artists explored generative AI tools to create artworks for a final exhibition, the organizers conducted a research study by observing and analyzing the process from cultural, technological, anthropological and philosophical perspectives. The research will continue with an online survey examining the experiences of art professionals — artists, art managers, curators, critics and others — with AI-based tools. The results will be published in a research paper that compiles the experiences of artists, experts and organizers to better understand artificial intelligence's role in the context of art, culture and human heritage.
Mission
Explore new horizons in art through a synthesis of contemporary artistic practices and the legacy of Hokusai using artificial intelligence, asking questions about the future of creativity, ethics and the role of the artist in a society on the verge of technological transformation.
Why Hokusai?
Katsushika Hokusai, (1760–1849) was a worldrenowned Japanese artist who sought to bridge Eastern and Western traditions. He created instructional manuals called manga that have inspired contemporary art education through a systematic methodology and approach that algorithmically breaks down complex artistic processes into accessible steps and elements.
Hokusai’s influence extends beyond traditional Japanese art, permeating Western art and pop culture. His innovative use of perspective and composition influenced the Impressionists, with artists like Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh studying his prints.
But his influence does not end there: Some claim that without Hokusai, various artistic disciplines such as modern woodcutting, graphic design, comics, manga, anime and even tattooing would not be the same.
The project organizers are confident that its methodology will make it possible to train neural networks to use the legacy of the great Japanese master as a tool for modern artists.
Manifesto
We believe that the harmonious and sustainable development of humanity’s future depends on how we find balance today — by combining knowledge, openness, creative potential, cultural growth and a deliberate commitment to artistic creation.
The synergy of art, science, and technology, rooted in humanity’s highest aspirations, is vital to advancing civilization.
We are witnessing a transformative era in technology, which will fundamentally change the world and how people communicate and create. Digitalization, virtual realities, artificial intelligence and other breakthroughs are no longer fantastical or abstract concepts but have made the multidimensionality of our digital world a tangible reality, with its own rules and peculiarities. These developments raise profound questions about identity, personhood, and even immortality – demanding rigorous exploration, innovation, and preservation of the invaluable legacy of human culture.
We believe the best solutions arise at the intersection of live creative processes, the practical application of innovative technologies, and thoughtful reflection informed by the entirety of human history.
We are motivated by a passion for big ideas, exploring what’s new through the act of creativity while engaging in dialogue with people who share our values and vision – from both past and present. At the same time, we look toward those who will follow in our footsteps.
We find deep inspiration in Hokusai — his personality, the depth and scale of his legacy, and his unparalleled influence on global culture. His work provides a focus and a foundation, enabling us to channel our energies and generate powerful momentum that will drive our next steps.
We hold openness, support, mutual respect, ethics and integrity as foundational values for collaboration and unlocking every participant's potential.
Project Team
Katsushika Hokusai
(葛飾 北斎), 1760–1849, born Tokitaro, is one of the most iconic Japanese artists of the Edo period. He is primarily known for contributing to ukiyoe, a Japanese artistic genre focused on depicting everyday life, nature, and landscapes. Hokusai dedicated his entire life to art, producing an exceptional body of work that has left an indelible mark onthe world.Hokusai’s distinctive style is characterized by his meticulous attention to detail, mastery of lines and composition.
Evgeny Merman
AI Hokusai project curator. A multimedia artist, painter, and art professor based in Tel Aviv. With over 25 years of experience in the arts, including numerous exhibitions, art residencies, teaching, and educational work, Evgeny Merman studied at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) and lived in New York and Hong Kong before relocating to Israel, where he continues to develop his artistic practice. He’s had solo exhibitions inTel Aviv, Jerusalem, Kyiv, MusemLV, Riga and Museum and Center of Contemporary Art, Ticino, Switzerland.In 2019 he won 1st Prize at 33th Kyoto Art Biennale, International Juried Exhibition of Art. Japan.
Vladimir Opredelenov
AI Hokusai project curator. Expert, lecturer and researcher in the field of combining technological innovation, management, social development and the sphere of culture and art. CDO of .ART and founder&CEO of the digital agency tech4.art, specializing in consulting museums, galleries and art business companies, as well as art managers, artists and collectors on the topics of development, digital marketing and the use of all types of technologies.
Anna Shvets
AI Hokusai project curator. An art manager, producer of international art projects, independent curator and art business strategist with hundreds of art projects across the world over the last 20 years. Anna is CEO of TAtchers’ Art Management. She regularly contributes to art and business publications, lectures and conducts research spanning contemporary art theory, interdisciplinarity and the intersection of art and digital technologies.
Partners
The project is also supported by international partners and admirers of his creativity and the pedagogical approach to art.
Experts & Speakers
Andrés Burbano
Researcher, art educator
and interdisciplinary artist.
ACM SIGGRAPH 2024 Chair
Denis Belkevich
General Partner Fuelarts,
creative Tech investor, art
economist, Art advisor
Maurice Benayoun
New media artist, curator
and art theorist
Eileen Isagon Skyers
Media art curator,
artist, writer
Elizabeth Markevitch
Founder of ikonoTV, TEDx
speaker, AI adopter
Paul Rosero Contreras
Researcher, interdisciplinary
artist, professor Art, Science & Technology
Tonia Samsonova
Founder of Exactly.ai.
Changing the AI rules for
artists
Weidi Zhang
New media artist and
researcher
Valentine Goddard
Lawyer & artist. Expert in AI policy.
Executive Director of AIIA
David Gunkel
Researcher, author, professor of technology ethics and aesthetics
Julien Barbier
Architect blending art, innovation, 3D, and VR. CEO at NADK
Vincent Barué
Architect focused on innovation, culture, and tech. CCO at NADK
Partners
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