An interactive odyssey through the industrial and digital landscape. Mariusz Waras. | Contemporary Lynx - print and online magazine on art & visual culture

Mariusz Waras’ LOOP marks his first fully digital exhibition at CSW ŁAŹNIA in Gdańsk, Poland, curated by Anna Szynwelska. This exhibition delves into the artist’s exploration of industrial and digital aesthetics and invites visitors to make a lasting micro-imprint, offering a dynamic and immersive experience within Waras’ creative world.

The artist is best known for his murals and paintings; however, the LOOP exhibition offers an opportunity to explore the less familiar dimensions of Waras’ work and engage in an interactive experience crafted with contemporary creative tools, including AI, AR, and VR. This exhibition features three projects presented as sound-enhanced projections in various rooms at CSW ŁAŹNIA in Gdańsk. Highlights include a 360-degree projection utilizing Unreal Engine and an AI-driven interactive display developed with TouchDesigner. Collaborators Radosław Deruba, Gosha Savage, and Patryk Chyliński contribute their expertise in visual technology and sound design, enriching the multisensory experience.

In conversation with Mariusz Waras, we delve into the concepts and inspirations behind LOOP, his intriguing journey through murals and technology, and his future creative endeavors.

“LOOP is a fully digital exhibition, marking the first time I have excluded any physical objects in a gallery. It aims to be a multi-layered immersive experience, allowing viewers to dive into my creative world, enhanced by technological and digital experiments. The exhibition features three projects presented as sound-enhanced projections in separate rooms at CSW Łaźnia”
– Mariusz Waras

Monika Juskowiak: What were the primary inspirations behind the LOOP exhibition, and what message do you aim to convey to the audience?

Mariusz Waras: The starting point and main material of the exhibition are my works (mainly paintings) and their language. Just as I do in my paintings, I drew from the digital library of elements I’ve consistently created since the beginning of the M-city project, which are graphic representations of various urban objects. Using AI tools, 3D visualization, and sound, my team and I have crafted an exhibition that fully leverages new technologies. Inspired by the latest AI, AR, and VR tools, we aimed to explore their potential in both the creative process and in expanding the ways art can be received and interacted with.

This exhibition also reflects my early fascination with the digital realm: the beginnings of the demoscene, pixel aesthetics, collectivity, the closeness of digital subcultures, graffiti, music, and club subcultures, and the generational enthusiasm for new technological tools, especially the internet, with its unprecedented possibilities for communication, exchange, and organization. Though I’m mainly known for my murals and paintings, the LOOP exhibition offers an opportunity to delve into the less exposed areas of my work and engage in an interactive experiment with modern creative tools. It aims to expand the impact of art and enhance the audience’s experience by immersing them in my world. This exhibition is a creative exploration of the potential, opportunities, as well as the challenges presented by new technologies in art.

MJ: Could you provide more details about the exhibition? How many works are included, and what do they depict?

MW: LOOP is a fully digital exhibition, marking the first time I have excluded any physical objects in a gallery. It aims to be a multi-layered immersive experience, allowing viewers to dive into my creative world, enhanced by technological and digital experiments. The exhibition features three projects presented as sound-enhanced projections in separate rooms at Gdańsk’s CSW Łaźnia. These projects use images, objects, and textures from my library, processed through advanced digital graphic tools and AI trained on my works. The programs also incorporate variables based on viewer movements captured by cameras. The images are generated in real-time, making them unique and ever-changing, both visibly and subtly, as the generator responds to human presence and transforms the input into new visuals.

“Human presence influences the generation process beyond the moment, leaving a lasting micro-imprint in the program’s learning process, affecting the dynamics and form of current and future images. This creates a playful, participatory experience in my creative world, where every presence and gesture is noted”
– Mariusz Waras

MJ: Can you tell me more about the immersive experience? What awaits the audience at the LOOP exhibition?

MW: The largest projection is designed according to a prepared scenario, where audience movement triggers predefined active sequences in a virtual world built from three-dimensional objects and textures taken from real-life works. Thanks to Radek Deruba the project uses the mechanics of Unreal Engine. The panoramic 3D projection in a darkened room creates an immersive, interactive experience, complemented by industrial sounds from Gosha Savage’s music.

In the next, smaller room, we see the effects of AI trained on my paintings by Patryk Chyliński. A camera captures movement, providing data to the generator to create new images. These works focus on interactivity, addressing the fluctuation of competencies and relationships in the creative process, the reciprocity of action and experience, and subjectivity. Human presence influences the generation process beyond the moment, leaving a lasting micro-imprint in the program’s learning process, affecting the dynamics and form of current and future images. This creates a playful, participatory experience in my creative world, where every presence and gesture is noted, allowing the viewer to not only experience art but also shape and change its reality.

The final room presents the effects of AI learning my artistic style without external variables. The goal is to explore the tool’s capabilities and play with the curiosity and discomfort of losing control over one’s own work.

“The exhibition’s appeal lies in its dynamic, relational nature and its autonomy from the creator. The project allows for ongoing adjustments and improvements. Through moving and spatial images, lighting, effects, and integrated sounds, it provides a different level of engagement compared to traditional exhibitions”
– Mariusz Waras

MJ: As mentioned, LOOP leverages advanced technologies such as Unreal Engine and TouchDesigner. I’m interested in how you define the software’s relationship with art.

MW: In this project, we used existing tools to explore their capabilities, such as learning sign language, variability, and transposition. At the same time, we aimed to leverage modern technology to enhance how art is experienced and engaged with, offering the audience not just a one-way spectacle but an immersive experience involving multiple senses and interaction. The exhibition’s appeal lies in its dynamic, relational nature and its autonomy from the creator. The project also allows for ongoing adjustments and improvements. Through moving and spatial images, lighting, effects, and integrated sounds, it provides a different level of engagement compared to traditional exhibitions, continually evolving through constant processing.

“My early reference points include my activity in the Commodore 64 demoscene, where I co-created platformer games, building their worlds using character graphics and game elements”
– Mariusz Waras

MJ: That’s mesmerizing! What about the title, what inspired the name LOOP?

MW: The working title was different; LOOP came from a suggestion by a friend during a discussion about inspirations for the exhibition—about looping back to my interest in digital tools and their potential in art. My early reference points include my activity in the Commodore 64 demoscene, where I co-created platformer games, building their worlds using character graphics and game elements. The demoscene also influenced my experience with graffiti culture, group names, nicknames, and typography directly taken from walls. We used similar effects—outlines, fills, stars, and arrows—and the demoscene resembled the graffiti scene in some ways. This background fostered my love for pixels, the creation of a digital library of elements, and later modular construction of images and murals. Engaging with diverse environments, connecting with people, and sharing experiences have always been important to me, and the digital space opened up entirely new perspectives. The exhibition is a nod to those earlier times and the environment from which today’s game development largely originates. It also aims to expand the scope, language, and impact of my art.

MJ: What challenges did you face while creating the interactive installations? Can you describe the creation process, did it begin with traditional outlines/notes, pen and paper?

MW: For many years, I’ve primarily worked digitally and don’t use a traditional sketchbook. Most of my paintings and murals are translations of digital works onto canvas or walls. I use stencils and spray paint, which introduces unique touches like slight shifts, spills, and blurs, adding individuality despite the mechanical process. My aesthetic combines simple graphic design with the ‘dirtiness’ of physical reproduction. Replication, variation, and transformation are central to my work, and my interest in new media and tools has led me to the themes presented in the exhibition. Radosław Deruba and Patryk Chyliński handled the technical preparations, programming, and training, allowing me to focus on conceptual work and providing materials for the engines.

MJ: As mentioned for this exhibition, you collaborated with Radosław Deruba, Gosha Savage, and Patryk Chyliński. What was their contribution to the project, and did the creative process involve joint sessions, or did each of you work independently?

MW: Radek Deruba handled the graphic engines and interactions, Patryk Chyliński trained the AI, and Gosha Savage prepared the musical accompaniment. Their involvement is crucial to the project. Each has significant experience and expertise in their respective fields and is open to taking on challenges. Without their initiative, dedication, and creative collaboration, the exhibition would not have been possible. While I set the project’s goals and provided the content, I left the technical aspects to the specialists. Once the project was underway, I mainly observed how my images were processed. The collaborating artists worked almost independently, while we maintained good communication and oversight, making agreed-upon adjustments to the scenario.

“About twenty years ago, I created an application that allowed users to build cities using elements from my library and to create templates for physical murals. This led to several hundred digital projects and several murals created by people worldwide, without my direct involvement”
– Mariusz Waras

MJ: Could you outline your artistic journey from creating murals to developing modern multimedia installations? Was this transition a natural evolution of your work, or is it more of an experimental phase?

MW: I entered both the digital world and street art during their early stages, drawing from both to develop my artistic language. Early on, I transitioned my mural work into the digital realm: about twenty years ago, I created an application that allowed users to build cities using elements from my library and to create templates for physical murals. This led to several hundred digital projects and several murals created by people worldwide, without my direct involvement. Many of my works are based on 3D renders, a technique I still frequently use for composing. I’m particularly interested in texturing objects with my graphics, processed with specific parameters. This often introduces elements of glitch, randomness, and unpredictability. Over the past two years, I’ve explored Lidar technology, mainly scanning faces and working with texturing and rendering to create future sketches and elements for images or murals.

MJ: Growing up in Gdynia (my favorite city in the world, by the way!), surrounded by shipyard cranes and the sea, you often reflect these industrial elements in your work. Will the exhibition feature these influences as well?

MW: The port and shipyard infrastructure of both my hometown Gdynia and Gdańsk, where I’ve lived for many years, is deeply embedded in my work. The presence of large machines, industry, and ships sparked my imagination as a child. The post-shipyard areas in Gdańsk, largely abandoned after losing their functions and long closed to the public, have been an artistic enclave in the Tricity area, home to numerous studios, collectives, independent galleries, and cultural organizations. Since my student days, I’ve been drawn to this area, where I created my first murals, some of which still exist today. Over time, with gentrification, the district has changed: buildings have been demolished, streets opened, and new developments like dining and entertainment have emerged, institutionalizing culture. The district is evolving, with ongoing debates about its future. I have a studio there and am involved in these changes; the shipyard continues to inspire me. While the buildings and equipment from this area are part of my library and artwork, their prominence has been overshadowed by new influences over the years. As a result, these references will be more apparent to those familiar with my work or the area, rather than to viewers encountering my art for the first time at the exhibition.

MJ: What are your plans for artistic development and experimenting with new media, is LOOP the beginning of a larger project?

MW: I definitely plan to develop this project further, as time and experience are crucial for AI learning, and I’m eager to see the results. Currently, I’m focused on creating modules and a software base for future projects. Parts of the exhibition will likely reappear in future iterations. I also have plans for tactile objects that enhance immersion in the environment. The potential for new possibilities is growing daily. At the same time, I’m not giving up painting; creating murals continues to be very enjoyable.