Jānis Dzirnieks (LV), Untitled

Knowledge is power. And today, where knowledge is data-driven, data represents a powerful resource. Big data is at once generated by and determines our everyday lives. The daily traces we leave behind on the internet provide those who can access and interpret them with information about ourselves, whether we like it or not. This information is turned into a commodity by tech companies. The transformation of selected forms of data into abstract fields of colour is part of a personal experiment for Dzirnieks, as the artist reflects on transparency, online behaviours and the power of big data.

Each of these works began with a screenshot of the pop-ups and banners that almost endlessly appear on websites, offering all manner of free content, forums, streaming and file-sharing services – always something different, often based on the user’s previous browsing habits. Purposely stretched and mangled using Photoshop’s algorithms, the screenshots turn into digital drips, glitches, abstract shapes and new colour fields. Dzirnieks says that he has reflected on how “an algorithm shows you personalised advertisements based on your location, your search history, taking a person under their rule. I wanted to manipulate these ads, catch them, turn the tables and use them for my benefit.”

The final wall objects are printed on a variety of media and covered in high gloss resin. The distorted and ironic representation of such momentary motifs in these static works, which are part of an extensive series, points to the artist’s playful stance on digital information flows.

Jānis Dzirnieks is a Latvian artist based in Rotterdam. He studied visual communication at the Latvian Academy of Art and obtained a master’s degree from the Piet Zwart Institute in Rotterdam. He also studied at the Universität der Künste in Berlin. Since 2013, he has created illustrations for Popper Publishing publications and exhibitions. He has also exhibited at Zwitischer Maschine (Berlin); Maloinoji6 (Vilnius); La Escocesa (Barcelona); Deutsches Haus at NYU; 427 and Alma (both in Riga) as well as the National Library of Latvia exhibition halls and others. Dzirnieks is part of the artist group 3/8, within which he has held two exhibitions in Riga: X kg (2016) at 427 gallery and / (2015) at RIXC media space.