prominent figure in microphotography, manfred s. kage, dropper genesis NFTs

by James · December 13, 2022

elementum debuts manfred s. kage’s artwork AS NFTs

As one of the first to bridge the new opportunities NFTs with art, elementum is a ground-breaking platform for visionary digital creatives as well as collectors – just land at Zurich airport to see the immersive NFT gallery for example. The platform is at the forefront of digital art by working only with pioneers in algorithmic art. As such, elementum has dropped the origin NFT to the recognized figure in microphotography, Manfred P. Kage (1935-2019).

Manfred P. Kage (1935-2019) was a noted artist, science photographer, filmmaker and inventor who was a prominent member of the ZERO art movement. Coining the terms “science art” and “modern science art”, his work used innovative techniques to visually depict the complexity of nature. From the Museum of Modern Art in New York to global events such as the Olympic Games, EXPO and the Venice Biennale, Kage’s creations revolutionized the synthesis of science and art. A true pioneer of digital art, whose work, for the first time, has now been dropped as NFTs by elementum platform.

“The fact that things are not as they seem was an enlightenment for me then, it was like opening the door to a mysterious world – a universe that can be explored step by step and gain insight,” said Manfred P. Kage.

Image © Manfred P. Kage, courtesy of elementum, Radiolarie – No. 2, 2004

elementums manfred s. kages genesis NFT series

The first of genesis series has the title ‘Radiolarie – No. 2’. Radiolaria are microscopic single-celled organisms that form aesthetically beautiful skeletons of silica in the sea. Fifty of these skeletons fit the size of a pencil point. The artwork realized Manfred P. Kage’s creative challenge to visually reveal the aesthetics of the smallest micro worlds. The artist made this tangible to viewers through his work, thanks to the invention of SEM science art that used a scanning electron microscopy established in 1977.

Image © Manfred P. Kage, courtesy of elementum, Dimensionsprung, 2007

With a seemingly natural blur of vibrant colours, ‘Dimensionssprung’ is the second work in the NFT series. The artwork formed part of Manfred P. Kage’s ‘Microverse of Crystals’ series which are crystal optical artworks created using a polychromator. This machine is an optical synthesizer used for micro photography, invented by Kage himself in 1957.

Image © Manfred P. Kage, courtesy of elementum, Mikrokosmos Verschmelzung, 2009

Kage’s three NFTs are currently on view at the group exhibition ‘Liebe Maschine, male mir’ at the pop-up elementum.art NFT Gallery at Zurich Airport in collaboration between elementum and Kate Vass Galerie. Manfred P. Kage’s ‘Mikrokosmos Verschmelzung’ transports art into the stratosphere. It illuminates the invisible connection between human existence, nature and the cosmos in his new multimedia. The artwork visually combines the crystallization of acenaphthalene compounds in the microscope with an astro image from NASA. The explosions of elements capture the all-encompassing rhythm of chaos and order in organisms.

“When I met Manfred P. Kage for the first time at the exhibition ZERO at Martin in the Gropius Bau in Berlin in 2015, it was a great revelation for me to experience an immersive multimedia performance performed through microscopic images. I immediately saw the deep connection between the hidden secrets of nature and the mathematical beauty of digital art. The large amount of self-constructed devices and inventions of Kage in the history microscopy was quite overwhelming,‘ Georg Bak explainsdigital art advisor and curator for the NFT drop.

‘In my numerous discussions with Gottfried Jäger (founder of generative photography) and Herbert W. Franke (a close friend of Manfred P. Kage, who wrote his obituary) I learned that many of the early computer artists were strongly influenced by microscopic art. Gottfried Jäger curated an exhibition with Manfred P. Kage and Carl Strüwe (another great microscopic photographer) in Bielefeld in the 1960s. Looking back at the historical art + technology exhibitions such as “The New Landscape in Art and Science” by György Kepes, microscopic images were quite prominently displayed. However, the context of microscopic and scientific images in digital art is still quite unexplored.‘

series info:

platform: element

artist: Manfred P. Kage

drop date: Friday 9 December at 17.00 CET

Explore the Manfred P. Kage works on the elementum.art platform and the secondary market at OpenSea.

Visit the group exhibition ‘Liebe Maschine, male mir’, on display at elementum.art NFT Gallery, Circle 18, 8058 in Zurich.