“Glitch” art finds artistic value in the moments where technology reveals its limits. Moments of failure can offer new insight into the workings of computers and networks, interesting new aesthetics, and opportunities to question broader cultural narratives.
The term grew in popularity in the late 2000s thanks to artists like Rosa Menkman, who published a Glitch Studies Manifesto in 2010. In the ensuing years, the term was taken up and expanded on by Hito Steyerl, Legacy Russell (Glitch Feminism), and others, and experienced a renewed surge of interest thanks to NFT culture and generative art communities in the 2020s.
The spirit of glitch art can be found throughout the history of art and technology. Many works from the 1990s and early 2000s by the artist duo JODI embodied principles of glitch; works that were exhibited in the 2005 Rhizome ArtBase exhibition "ArtBase 101" under the label of “dirtstyle” were also closely aligned with these ideas.
Explore more through these articles from our archive:
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Artist Profile: Rosa Menkman
#blog post by Jason Huff
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Elsewhere, After the Flood: Glitch Feminism and the Genesis of Glitch Body Politic
#blog post by Legacy Russell
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Artifacts: A Conversation Between Hito Steyerl and Daniel Rourke
#blog post by Daniel Rourke
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Required Reading: A Closer Look at JODI's 'Untitled Game'
#blog post by Michael Connor