Art &
Vladimir Kush
and the binary of art and technology
By Paul French The relationship between art and technology has always been an intimate one. The more tools in your kit, the more artistic options you have. As Vladimir Kush says, when he first came to America after working as a painter in Soviet Russia, he had to get used to being equipped with more than just a “rat’s tail” for a paintbrush. Even while maintaining his identity as a classically trained “metaphorical realist,” Kush is employing new technology to share his award-winning art with people around the world. Among other things, this renowned artist spoke with us about his latest project, “1 & 0,” a collection that art lovers, young and old, can access and even interact with on smartphones and tablets: My father wrote this story about one and zero, which are, you know, the binary system numbers. One & zero are the lowest numbers, but together they are the strongest. It’s a story of them living together harmoniously. They are making music, and all of a sudden zero decides that he is much more important and walks away from one. And everyone, at that moment, sees nothing but a big fat zero. Without one, he is just zero. Separately, they are nothing. Together, they’re a language. Kush’s last digitally available collections, “Aries the Sheep” and “Matrix of Love,” have allowed users to essentially visit new galleries
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INNOVATION & TECH TODAY | SUMMER 2016