GREGORY BENNETT

Denver Digerati presented “Friday Flash No.10 - Digital Animation NOW” to the public on Friday July 24th in downtown Denver, Colorado on the 14th and Champa Street LED screen. The approximately 45 minute program is an adjunct to the 2015 Biennial of the Americas, taking the Biennial theme of NOW! and celebrating what is firmly some of the leading artists from around the world who are engaged in digital animation as a form of contemporary art. It is one of Denver Digerati’s most stunning collections to date, further advancing a singular, exciting artist network that has been the cornerstone of Denver Digerati’s curatorial efforts.

This year’s research has led to the discovery of a number of new talents that will be featured for the first time in Friday Flash No.10, including exciting international artists such as Claudiamate, Fabrice Le Nezet, V5MT, Baden Pailthorpe, Gregory Bennett, Alfredo Salazar-Caro and Mike Pelletier, who was recently selected as one of Denver Digerati’s 2015 commissioned artists on the strength of his recent works. Hector Llanquin is also featured with two incredible works, in follow up to his debut in last year's FF No6 "Download This" program.

Artist collectives with a more commercial focus, yet achieving the highest artistic standards, include Universal Everything and The Rodina, both exhibiting sensibilities that are truly universal and exciting. Numerous artists are excelling with their work and reputations within the U.S. as well, including Rashaad Newsome, Scott Gelber, Jonathan Monaghan (a Denver Digerati veteran, no program of this type would be complete without his inclusion), Kim Laughton, Ben Wheele, Nicos Livesey, Barry Whittaker (a 2014 Denver Digerati commissioned artist), and Peter Burr, who many in Denver were introduced to last year via MonkeyTown 4 and previously with Cartune Xprez at Plus Gallery.

With FF No.10 Denver Digerati, for the first time, introduces one of the most unusual veins in digital animation today, drawing top artists from within the “Machinema” and “Second Life” genres that use gaming protocols to develop long-form, narrative works that can border on the absurd as well as the sublime, with SaveMe Oh being one of the best examples and Valentina Rebecca Tremont serving equally as a remarkable entity within the genre. Denver will also be represented by the recently discovered animations of Travis Vermilye, an instructor at UCD who uses his incredible skills in digital animation to help society better understand science.

Denver Digerati’s efforts are supported by the Denver Theatre District, whose unique protocol and funding mechanism brings a wide variety of art and cultural forums to downtown Denver. Their ongoing support of Denver Digerati is helping to advance an innovative public-art platform that is unparalleled anywhere in the world.

The program was curated by Ivar Zeile and edited by Ryan Pattie, the creative core of Denver Digerati.