DA 2, Reading Response 3: Archillect

Pak is a highly influential and prolific digital creator whose identity remains pseudonymous- where they channel attention away from themself and toward the mechanics and philosophy of the work. While active in digital design for over two decades, Pak rose to global prominence as one of the pioneers in the NFT art space, becoming a successful artists in the medium. Early in their history around 2014, Pak created Archillect, an artificial intelligence that scrapes the internet and curates visually stimulating images across social media, acting as a "digital muse" or mood board and demonstrating Pak's foundation in both programming and visual culture. This unique blend of technological acumen and conceptual art forms the core of their creative process, allowing Pak to utilize the blockchain itself as a primary artistic medium rather than simply a marketplace.

Pak's practice involves innovative projects that elude the traditional notion of value and ownership. Unlike the detailed, illustrative works of many digital artists, Pak's signature style is often very minimal, consisting of simple geometric shapes, monochrome palettes, or what I can tell looks like algorithmically generated images. Their most famous works are defined by their complex transactional mechanisms. The record-breaking "Merge" (2021) was sold not as a fixed artwork but as "mass units" which collectors bought and which would dynamically merge into a single piece, rewarding collective participation and introducing real-time scarcity. Similarly, the "Fungible Collection" sold through Sotheby's in 2021. This work was comprised of thousands of "cubes" allowing buyers and the community to decide the final scarcity and value of the artwork at scale. The central theme in Pak's art has been a deep, continued investigation into digital ownership, scarcity, religious critique and the mechanics of a surreal life. Pak embeds questions about art, money, and power directly into the protocols of their work, with collectors not only owners but active participants and co-creators who drive the evolution of the work.

Website: https://archillect.com/