Jonathan Barbeau

Recent Work

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  Je Me Souviens

  December 2024 - Show: My Reality - Curated by: Qm & Snow - Hosted by: Cloud Art Museum

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  Description

  Dimensions: 5400 × 7614

  Creation Medium: Algorithmic digital art

  'Je me souviens' is a hauntingly evocative exploration of memory, impermanence, and the passage of time. Rooted in the spirit of nostalgia and loss, the collection captures the echoes of what once was — decayed cityscapes, fragmented structures, and spectral presences that linger like afterimages in the mind.

  Each piece delves into the interplay between presence and absence, revealing the liminal spaces where history fades and the remnants of the past whisper their stories. The title, drawn from the iconic Québecois motto, transcends its origin to embody a universal reflection on collective and personal memory — what we carry forward, what we leave behind, and what persists despite the erasure of time.

  Through its glitch-like textures and layered compositions, 'Je me souviens' invites viewers to reflect on their own connections to place, memory, and the inevitable transformation of all things.

  ||==INSPIRATION==||

  This piece was inspired by the fragility of human civilization and the fleeting traces we leave behind. Influenced by themes of erosion and memory, it explores how time transforms our biggest achievement into mere echoes, leaving behind empty shells of what once was.

  This series is the culmination of over a year of dedicated research and study into texture creation, utilizing particle systems and Perlin noise as a way to convey the essence of disintegration and loss.

  ||==NOTES==||

  Best experienced as a large-scale projection or on a high-quality screen to emphasize its luminous contrasts and textures (4k). Physical print available on demand

  Made with Javascript on <canvas>

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  STARMAP

  March 2024 - Show: Under Neith - Curated by: Forever Projects - Hosted by: Foundation

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  Description

  STARMAP serves as an homage to the captivating mysticism of the cosmos and the insidious fear that accompanies the exploration of the unknown. This artwork invites viewers to embark on a cosmic journey, celebrating the vastness of the universe.

  Each pieces put you in the perspective of an unnamed space explorer. Alone and fully committed to charting the vastness of the cosmos. The explorer is never shown; instead, the viewer shares his point of view, experiencing both the awe and wonder of discovery and the profound feeling of solitude in a place that is far greater than us.

  This algorithmic collection conveys the acute sentiment that returning home is never guaranteed. As the explorer delves deeper into the cosmos, emotions like wonder and curiosity becomes entwined with the dread of isolation and the weight of emptiness that begins to envelop them.

  The artist is showcasing the paradox of discovery mingled with the fear of losing connection with the familiar, a dichotomy resonating within every soul, akin to the emotions associated with significant life changes.

  ||==NOTES==||

  STARMAP is a meditative piece that paints itself over time. The artist uses a high number of particulate to paint each piece of this series. This collection has been built with contemplation in mind so take the time to kick back and enjoy the automated painting process (around 60s).

  Made with Javascript on <canvas>

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  Traces

  April 2024 - Intefaces - Funded by the federal government commissioner for culture and the media, Hanover, Stuttgart, Germany - OBJKT.

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  Description

  TRACES is a multi-artist collaboration. It is part of the Interfaces project which bridges the world of dance and algorithmic art. The interfaces team motion-captured dance choreography using ml5.js. All choreography where the converted into a json file which mapped all the limbs and movement from the dancers into javascript object. It's kind of a coordinate system.

  Using this, I was able to use the data to paint on a digital canvas using a particle system but instead of having all the particles starting on a random place on the canvas, they're divided into nodes. These nodes match the limbs of the dancers. For example I mostly uses the Head, Wrist,Shoulder, knees and feets as starting point for the particles. When I start generating an output, the particles start from these points.

  I'm also using a MIDI controller where I mapped the size, hue, saturation and brightness on the 4 top knobs and mapped all the frames from the dance on each of the 4 sliders. So 1 slider is really 1/4th of the whole sequence. So using this I could influence what was happening on the screen but still left the particles free to do their thing while moving the dancer on the timeline.

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  EX-LIBRIS

  January 2024 - fx(hash)

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  Description

  The idea of EX-LIBRIS emerged only days before my pilgrimage to the Artblocks Marfa Weekend in September. What began as an intent to craft exquisite bookmarks for a select circle swiftly transformed into a revelation of the creative potential within this seemingly modest format. From this first batch only 32 bookmarks came into existence.

  These bookmarks, meticulously designed and infused with the desire to learn, served as more than placeholders within pages. They encapsulated a narrative of artistic exploration, self discovery and interpersonal connections. It was in this moment of realization that the decision to immortalize this project on the blockchain took root.

  The EX-LIBRIS project stands as a testament to the union of creativity and the possibilities made possible by blockchain technology. Each bookmark, a work of art in its own right, represents a fragment of this creative journey. With an ethos of uniqueness and individuality, each holder will have the opportunity to redeem their bookmark (or set) after minting, offering a tangible and signed testament to this unique artistic endeavor.

  EX-LIBRIS encapsulates the essence of a moment in time, where I found my tribe as an artist and transformed into an enduring testament to art's evolution—an ode to tradition, knowledge, innovation, and the limitless horizons of art in the digital age.

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  Jeu de Ligne

  June 2023 - 256art.com

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  Description

  The story of 'Jeu de ligne' began in June 2022 as an exploration of particle systems and flow fields using p5.js. After a month of tinkering, the project stalled — it lacked direction, and the default noise function kept pulling the particles into repetitive, predictable patterns. The idea was shelved for nearly a year.

  In April 2023, the project was reopened with fresh eyes. A new approach to the underlying motion system transformed what had been a fluid, organic flow into something far more restrained — particles no longer drifted freely across the canvas but moved in discrete, deliberate steps. When a particle reached the boundary of its zone, it would stop and stay, slowly building up into a sharp edge. Over time, those edges became lines. Those lines became the work. A happy accident turned into the defining gesture of the collection.

  The name came late, just a week before release. While searching for something that felt right, I stumbled upon a painting by Marcel Barbeau — a founding member of Les Automatistes, the influential Montreal collective of the 1940s alongside Paul-Émile Borduas and Jean-Paul Riopelle. His painting, also titled 'Jeu de ligne', struck the same balance I was reaching for: structured and organized, yet full of color and playful energy. The name was an immediate fit.

  'Jeu de ligne' was released as a limited collection of 300 editions on 256art.com in June 2023. The 16×22 format, a departure from the typical 1:1 square, gave the composition room to breathe. Each output carries its own narrative — a unique arrangement of lines, complexity, and palette that invites the viewer to name what they see.

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  Exhibit-A

  May 2023 - Self curated - Exhibited at La Korrigane in Quebec city - Certificate hosted by Highlight.xyz

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  Description

  In the spring of 2023, an opportunity emerged to exhibit work at La Korrigane, a beloved pub and microbrewery in the heart of Québec City. It would be my first time showing physical work in a dedicated space — a milestone that called for something intentional. The result was Exhibit-A: a collection of 10 generative prints, conceived as a kind of personal manifesto of technique.

  The collection is built around a simple but revealing idea: five distinct algorithms, each producing two artworks as a pair. Every pair shares the same underlying foundation — Perlin noise — but diverges completely in its visual expression. Some outputs are dense and geometric, others fluid and atmospheric. Set side by side, each pair becomes a quiet argument about the range hidden inside a single mathematical concept.

  Seeing these pieces printed, framed, and hung on a wall brought a new dimension to the work. The prints were made and framed by Les Trafiquants D’art, collaborators since 2018, whose craftsmanship elevated each piece into something tangible and lasting. The exhibition ran from May to September 2023.

  Exhibit-A marks a turning point — the moment generative art moved off the screen and into a room, into a conversation with strangers. Certificates for the collection are hosted on Highlight.xyz, bridging the physical and the digital.

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