Ipseity is an installation of 8 digital paintings by new media artist Enrique Agudo, presenting visualizations of contemporary notions of identity through the depiction of new deities and their environments, presenting allegoric scenes about the human self and our relationship to technology. Inspired by the Pre Raphaelites, these works take on our digital realities in the form of traditional painting, but making use of the most cutting edge technology displayed on large scale LED displays.

These scenes present integrated generative animations connected to real-time data in which the digital and the physical are connected, reflect and question the role technology distorts or magnifies our self perception and our place in the world. Local temperature, wind speed and direction, pollution levels in the air create distortions and affect different elements in the scenes in real time, flowers grow and perish seasonally, trees grow over time and sway in the local wind, thus the paintings become alive in synchronicity with the physical world. Presenting these scenes ponders the question of how technology might be thought of as a generator of human culture, a tool for expansion of human identity and not merely a dooming resource with an apocalyptic price.

This project is the further exploration of The Pantheon of Queer Mythology, a virtual reality short film by the artist, about the visual dreamworlds of Queer identities in contemporary Western cities today. In Ipseity, Agudo is reaching further and questioning aspects of identity such as chosen family, gender identity, youth, sexuality, addiction, wisdom, self-sabotage among others, and drawing parallels between how we inhabit this burning planet and how we view ourselves. The broader project includes a series of costume NFTs, short animation films, a book showcasing collaborations with artist Rob Unett and poet Jenevieve Ting, as well as the immersive 8-piece installation. By opening 8 windows into scenes that are connected, that are never the same, with deities that are speaking to who we are as humans, we create an interesting space between the digital and the physical that fosters curiosity and wonder and that explores what it means to be human in a digital world. You can find out more about Ipseity at Ipseity.art