Photo credit: Bre Pettis

Marius Watz

Marius Watz (b. 1973) is the reason I fell down this whole rabbit hole: he taught the 2011 Processing class where I first learned to draw with code, and where I first encountered Casey Reas's work. A Norwegian artist who quit computer science to design rave graphics in 1993, he became one of generative art's builders — hard-edged geometry in vivid color across software, digital fabrication, and sculpture; founder of Generator.x (2005), the conference and touring exhibition that helped define the field; residencies from NYU ITP to MakerBot, with work at the V&A, MuseumsQuartier, and in MoMA's collection. The Watz works here have a story: around 2010 I loaned Marius an HP plotter in NYC, and when he returned it he gave me an artwork as a gift. I never took it out of the tube, and it disappeared — every time I moved, I looked for it. In 2024 I finally gave up, asked him if I could buy his work, and he hand-delivered these on a visit to NYC from Oslo, where he lives now. He was also the first MakerBot artist in residence, 2009–2010.

Artist's website (mariuswatz.com) ↗

3 physical works · 4 digital projects (16 iterations)