Rick Silva is a Brazilian-American artist whose videos, websites, and installations explore virtuality, futurology, and speculative ecologies. His work has been exhibited at The Centre Pompidou, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, and The Whitney Museum of American Art. He has been featured in Artforum, Wired, and Rhizome’s Net Art Anthology. Silva received his MFA from the University of Colorado Boulder, and lives in Eugene Oregon where he is an Associate Professor at The University of Oregon. He is a 2023 Hallie Ford Fellow in the Visual Arts.
Rick has been involved in digital art for over 20 years, including as part of Transfer Gallery, New Forms, and ISEA. When Refraction was founded in 2021, there was hardly any artist we were more excited to ask to join the DAO. We love both his art and aesthetics, and his love for everything from art to music, snowboarding to academia.
We asked Rick a few questions ahead of his Refraction artwork drop, which is available exclusively for Refract Pass holders to mint now. The artwork will be exhibited for the first time at our New York event at Public Records on April 4th, 2024. Refract Pass holders can RSVP here, and tickets are available for purchase here.
Refraction: Tell us about Totality. Could you share the story around the name of the piece?
Rick Silva: Experiencing the North American total solar eclipse August of 2017 was a peak moment for me. There’s a cosmic weirdness to experiencing the alignment of the sun, moon and earth, and being in the path of totality feels like you are connected to the deep past and far future simultaneously. This work is a reflection on that experience, and an anticipation of the upcoming total solar eclipse happening in North America on April 8, 2024
Refraction: What’s the role of music in this piece? What’s the story behind the music, and how did you integrate it to complement and contrast with the visual elements in Totality?
RS: In most of my projects I make the audio myself. I always make the sound after the visual elements are finished. I think the way you put it; “to compliment and contrast,” is how I approach it, trying to find a balance that adds to, but doesn't overwhelm, the images. I often make drone-like sounds that add a heavier tension to the work, but with Totality it’s more about celebrating an epic planetary event.
Refraction: Could you share your current artistic inspirations? Do you work with recurring themes, symbols, or figures prominent in your recent works?
RS: This one is a bit on the nose, but I’m almost done with the book “Our Moon” by Rebecca Boyle. There are many many incredible connections in the book that trace the earth’s own origins, our evolutionary beginnings to our silvery sister in the sky. The book also details how the moon inspired timekeeping and modern science.
Working with scales of time and nature, and tension between representational and abstract are constant features of my work, and you can see this in Totality as well.
Refraction: Any final words you’d like to share with all the Refract Pass holders who collect your piece?
RS: Any eclipse experience can be special, but if you are near the path of totality, I highly recommend fully aligning yourself and experiencing totality.
The Refract Pass gives holders opportunities to engage with and create a future that values the economic independence of artists across the world. Throughout the year, members get special access to music festivals, art exhibitions, and exclusive digital art created by top artists.
Mint your Refract Pass here to join our community of artists dedicated to building a new creator economy.
Rick Silva’s new work ‘Totality’ is available for Refract Pass holders to mint here.
Refraction and The Department of Decentralization are presenting the art programming at this year’s ETHBerlin from May 24-26. The exhibition is curated through an Open Call. Interested artists can submit their artwork from April 10th to May 10th.
