34: Anna Ridler & Sofia Crespo—The Natural History of Machine Learning with Peter Bauman

In this very special episode, host Peter Bauman (Le Random's editor in chief) speaks with artist Beeple (Mike Winkelmann) about a busy year of institutional shows, studio experiments, and what it means for digital art to edge closer to the canon.The artist traces how works like Human One, Diffuse Control, and Transient Bloom at institutions like LACMA, The Shed, Mori Art Museum and Toledo Museum of Art have shifted his sense of digital art’s inevitability. They also discuss why he thinks IRL encounters with screens, robots and installations are “higher fidelity” than years of online discourse. They then cover how his Charleston studio has become a public lab by hosting CryptoPunks nights, video game tournaments, and a Synthetic Theater event.The second part of the conversation mostly covers REGULAR ANIMALS, Beeple's robotic, AI-mediated dog pack for Art Basel’s new Zero 10 digital section. They look at the work as a prototype for long-form generative systems that sense and interpret the world in real time, plus much more!Chapters 📖: [00:00:04]: Introduction and context[00:01:47]: Year in review and institutional milestones[00:03:11]: Embracing digital art as its own medium[00:06:19]: Studio as public outreach platform[00:10:05]: IRL experiences versus online discourse[00:11:28]: Market vibes versus institutional progress[00:15:37]: Conceiving the Art Basel presentation[00:19:58]: Rethinking generative art with new systems[00:23:16]: Running the studio like a gallery[00:27:37]: Robots as living, intelligent sculptures[00:31:29]: Are technologists artists and curators?[00:33:50]: Why we are not prepared for the future[00:39:30]: Nuance of AI within artworks[00:41:30]: Human intention amid AI-assisted processes[00:45:02]: Closing thanks and sign-off

In this episode, host Peter Bauman (Le Random's editor in chief) speaks with pioneering artist duo Anna Ridler and Sofia Crespo about their long-running collaboration bringing machine learning into dialogue with natural history.They trace their early encounters with deep learning—from memes, browser histories, and speech-to-text to data visualization, encyclopedias, and NeurIPS Creativity Workshops—and how both arrived at AI through questions of classification and what it means to “understand” the world.They also discuss fusing natural history and machine learning across their five collaborative projects (including Anna Atkins–inspired cyanotypes, Argentine “artificial memories” and the rain-marked Clematis tiles), working only with their own datasets in the middle of AI copyright debates, rethinking collage and photography in an era of generative models, and what might come next after winning Arab Bank Switzerland’s Artist of the Year prize.Monday's Editorial:Holly Herndon & Mat Dryhurst on Artificial Psychedelia: https://www.lerandom.art/editorial/holly-herndon-mat-dryhurst-on-artificial-psychedeliaChapters 📖:[00:00:03]: Introduction and episode overview[00:02:23]: Anna’s path to deep learning[00:03:32]: Sofia’s early AI explorations[00:07:36]: Natural history and machine learning parallels[00:10:30]: Posthuman ideas emerging in practice[00:12:34]: NeurIPS Creativity Workshop beginnings[00:13:34]: Artist versus technologist mindset[00:15:44]: Sofia’s nontraditional art journey[00:21:01]: Speaking to researchers during COVID[00:22:05]: Meeting and first encounters[00:26:11]: First Collaboration: Various and Casual Occursions[00:34:52]: Second project: 83 Seeds from a Vanishing Mountain[00:38:06]: Third project: Snapshots: Orchids[00:42:46]: Fourth project: Long Short Term Memories[00:47:15]: Fifth project: 3.31424e+126 : clematis armandii[00:52:05]: Looking ahead together[00:53:41]: Closing thanks and goodbyes

In this episode, host Peter Bauman (Le Random's editor in chief) speaks with one of the most impactful forces in contemporary art, gallerist and curator Dr. Mimi Nguyen.They discuss Nguyen's path from statistics and design engineering into art and NFTs, opening galleries in London and New York, and a whirlwind year across Paris Photo, Art Basel Miami Beach’s new Zero 10 digital section, and the global fair circuit.They also cover the gap between crypto prices and on-the-ground energy, liquidity and taste, museums as signals, the technical realities of showing digital art, and what sustainable, future-ready gallery models might look like.Monday's Editorial with Karl Sims & Alexander Mordvintsev: https://www.lerandom.art/editorial/karl-sims-alexander-mordvintsev-on-merging-technology-and-biologyChapters 📖:[00:00:03]: Introduction and episode context[00:01:40]: Mimi’s background and career pivot question[00:06:11]: Sentiment versus reality in digital art[00:10:19]: Bridging to traditional art; audience and taste[00:10:35]: Sustainability of the current ecosystem[00:14:03]: Economic realities and institutions’ signaling role[00:15:11]: Big year recap and name pronunciation[00:16:50]: Lessons from a busy year; longer shows[00:21:30]: Plans and selectivity for next year[00:21:52]: Role of the gallery and collector relationships[00:23:00]: Technical realities of presenting digital art[00:27:30]: Adapting to new tech and outreach lessons[00:30:30]: Curating and choosing artists to represent[00:32:55]: Digital energy versus traditional market downturn[00:33:57]: Rethinking gallery models and cost structures[00:37:14]: Closing thanks and farewell

In this long-anticipated episode, host Peter Bauman (Le Random's editor in chief) speaks with one of the most exciting duos in contemporary digital culture, Ann Hirsch and Maya Man. They cover their collaborative projects, Ugly Bitches and Little Darlings, which explore online gender performativity. We discuss the works in relation to the so-called "vibe shift" of the 2020s. The artists also discuss how their work, often using GANs and other AI technologies, counteracts the "girl boss" rhetoric of early 2020s NFT projects by presenting a more flawed, nuanced, and sincere depiction of both femininity and masculinity. They detail how UB uses intentionally distorted AI dolls to comment on female failure, while LD employs shinier AI imagery to critique the "hustle grind gain success" male influencer culture. Finally, the conversation touches upon their admiration for, and points of departure from, the "Gay NFT" or Avant Schizocollage scene, with the artists expressing an interest in "ironic sincerity" in their work.Monday's Editorial with Jess Tucker: https://www.lerandom.art/editorial/jess-tucker-on-longing-for-a-faceChapters 📖:[00:00:03]: Intro and episode overview[00:01:48]: How Ann and Maya met[00:01:57]: Ugly Bitches spark and concept[00:02:43]: Overlapping interests and prior work[00:04:37]: Critique of women-centric NFT projects[00:06:08]: Realism over idealization[00:06:56]: Vibe shift and gender extremes online[00:18:03]: Problem with “all women are beautiful”[00:19:32]: Training GANs and diffusion for concepts[00:25:12]: On the Solana “gay NFT” scene[00:30:37]: Code versus curation; hashlips pipelines[00:31:35]: Software choices: canvas, DOM, possibilities[00:33:24]: Sincerity versus irony in online scenes[00:34:34]: Heart: earnest, feminine internet culture[00:37:27]: Annie and ironic sincerity[00:41:17]: Parallels, coming-of-age, and what’s next[00:42:49]: Expanding the Ugly Bitches universe[00:43:36]: Maya’s StarQuest: dance, AI, autobiography[00:47:06]: Hints at darker future work[00:47:12]: Closing thanks and future reunion[00:48:25]: Final goodbye

In this extra special episode, host Peter Bauman (Le Random's editor in chief) speaks with prominent AI researcher Ian Goodfellow about the legendary origins of GANs, their unexpected success and indelible impact on both twenty-first-century image making and AI research. This episode contains Peter and Ian's full conversation and serves as a companion to Monday's written interview, which covered the first half of the discussion only.Monday's editorial: https://www.lerandom.art/editorial/ian-goodfellow-on-inventing-gansChapters 📖:[00:00:03]: Introduction and cultural impact of GANs[00:03:30]: Ian explains GANs and game theory[00:06:12]: The Montreal origin story begins[00:10:51]: The first GAN and MNIST success[00:19:36]: Early reception and longevity surprises[00:21:22]: LAPGAN and DCGAN mark takeoff[00:23:54]: Is generative modeling deep learning’s culmination?[00:26:11]: Can GANs be creative or just mimic?[00:29:30]: GANs as tools; human creativity’s role[00:37:14]: On autonomous AI artists and personhood[00:41:50]: GANs’ role in text-to-image’s emergence[00:42:20]: Story from probabilistic graphs to media generation[00:51:30]: Key GAN advances: LAPGAN to StyleGAN and beyond[00:57:52]: Are engineers artists? [01:02:26]: Expected uses, misuse risks, and simulations[01:06:50]: Scale’s legacy, spending, and scaling laws[01:11:31]: AGI timelines and being wrong both ways[01:19:14]: Platonic representations across modalities[01:23:49]: Closing thanks and farewells

In this episode, host Peter Bauman (Le Random's editor in chief) talks with Parker Ito about the multidisciplinary artist's path from late net art/post-Internet and “zombie formalism” to Solana’s artist-led avant scene. They dig into painterly, memetic, trait-rich collections, subtle “post-AI” tooling, ETH vs. Solana cultures, blind mints and scale. Plus why this moment rekindles faith in a new avant-garde.Monday's editorial: https://www.lerandom.art/editorial/claudia-hart-on-land-of-the-deadFriday's bonus editorial: www.lerandom.art/editorial/parker-ito-and-evil-biscuit-on-possessed-spiritsChapters 📖:[00:00:03]: Intro: Le Random, guests, Halloween release, Solana avant scene[00:02:02]: Silicon Valley art scene challenges and Node?[00:06:38]: Why Parker's internet-native work fits differently[00:09:31]: Solana avant versus backward-looking traditions[00:12:23]: ETH generative trends versus Solana’s post-AI approach[00:24:50]: Market worries, Forbes attention, audience alignment[00:30:54]: Iterations, generativity, and NFTs as raw expression[00:39:22]: Continuous work rooted in personal viewpoint[00:48:25]: Internet ideals, cynicism, and ambiguity[00:50:03]: Drilady’s crassness and personal significance[00:56:10]: ETH influx, schisms, and scene infighting[00:59:52]: Drilady’s place; Cheeto exhibition primacy[01:01:54]: Onboarding artists; misconceptions about NFTs[01:03:12]: Who knows the scene? Thanks and farewell

After releasing our London Digital Art Guide, a curated guide to London's digital art and culture, our editor in chief Peter Bauman is joined by the wonderful contributors who made the piece possible: Hannah Redler-Hawes, ‍Robert Alice, ‍Clara Che Wei Peh & ‍Abigail Miller. The panel unpacks London’s vibrant, intimate and collaborative digital art scene, from hidden gems and neighborhood walks to institutions, curators, and the city’s evolving role in global digital culture.See the London Digital Art Guide: https://www.lerandom.art/editorial/london-digital-art-guideSee the Art Walk Map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1HpxjgPXiYhjJNhkX9wUYxIzFX8ysmM4&usp=sharingIt highlights the must-see galleries, neighborhoods and artists that shape the city’s renowned scene.Chapters 📖:[00:00:04]: Welcome and panel introductions[00:01:54]: Guide aims and Hannah Redler-Hawes's introduction[00:07:16]: Clara Che Wei Peh's Trip Planning section[00:14:20]: Robert Alice on Galleries, museums, and digital displays[00:21:07]: Abigail Miller on London artists across generations and schools[00:24:21]: Visitor itineraries for digital art lovers[00:28:18]: Unexpected spot: Science Museum games[00:30:31]: Art Date idea: Night ride under Leo Villoreal-lit bridges[00:32:20]: Institutions and on blockchain art[00:34:12]: Structural hurdles: conservation and mindset[00:37:09]: Curatorial realities and institutional capacity[00:41:43]: Closing thoughts and thanks

In this episode, host Peter Bauman (Le Random's editor in chief) and Conrad House (Le Random's Collection Lead) sit down with artist/curator Jared Madere (Yeche Lange, VVV) to trace his early Whitney break and the rise of the Solana avant scene. They unpack on-chain transparency, Drifella’s meme-native collage, and how new online collectors are shifting power and reimagining culture in real time.Chapters 📖[00:00:03]: Introduction[00:01:46]: On failure, transparency, and NFTs vs trad[00:03:47]: Early career, DIY spaces, Bed Stuy Love Affair[00:10:13]: Smithson’s influence and Glue Pour revelation[00:14:10]: Building immersive digital galleries beyond white cubes[00:17:24]: Post-COVID decentralization and culture sophistication[00:19:04]: Collage, hyper-politicized media, and online literacy[00:22:50]: Censorship, messaging, and bridging two worlds[00:29:35]: Daria controversy, hate speech, and context[00:34:52]: Gallery sterility vs messy online culture[00:35:58]: Why Yeche shows Biscuit and Drifella[00:37:36]: Nonfigurative shifts and VVV’s influence[00:40:43]: NFTs as portraiture and PFP structures[00:42:15]: Solana’s degenerate perversion vs ETH minimalism[00:44:15]: Communicating significance of Drifella[00:46:34]: Wretched Worm videos and hyper-online lives[00:49:11]: Fragmented politics and culture controllers[00:52:22]: Galleries closing, collectors shrinking, reshuffling[00:56:16]: Explaining avant appeal beyond irony[00:59:45]: Hashlips misuse and Drifella’s structural genius[01:05:30]: Galleries’ structural challenges and Yeche’s model[01:11:25]: Ambassadors, press, and new audiences[01:12:50]: Future collectors[01:13:38]: Building cool enough to attract attention[01:15:26]: Procedural art parallels in Drifella[01:16:08]: Yeche origins with 1/1s[01:22:29]: Miles Peyton collaboration and bespoke builds[01:24:15]: VVV’s purpose[01:26:30]: Yeche’s curation vs VVV’s permissionless culture (how they support one another)[01:28:46]: Crypto spending inversions and cultural demand[01:31:41]: Conflict, digital natives, and online-born culture[01:32:43]: Silicon Valley palates and palatable crypto art[01:42:32]: New political lenses and classed perspectives[01:44:20]: Art reflecting seismic cultural-technological shifts[01:45:06]: Thanks and closing remarks

In this Le Random third quarter round-up, Editor-in-Chief Peter Bauman sits down with thefunnyguys (Le Random co-founder & CEO) and Conrad House (collection lead) to reflect on the biggest shifts in digital art this past quarter.They discuss how Toledo Museum of Art’s Infinite Images exhibition signaled a new era of institutional support for digital art and how MoMA’s debut of Sasha Stiles’s A Living Poem brought art and emerging technologies into a major museum lobby. They debate the fallout from Christie’s restructuring its digital art department, share insights on the launch of Raster, thefunnyguys' new artist-profile aggregator and marketplace, and dive deep into the rise of the Solana Avant scene on VVV — from Parker Ito’s and Biscuit’s schizocollage aesthetic to the generational shift it represents.Plus market sentiment, favorites of the quarter and much, much more.Chapters 📖:[00:00:00]: Introduction and agenda for Q3 2025 recap[00:01:38]: Toledo Museum’s digital turn and Infinite Images[00:04:15]: Sasha Stiles: A Living Poem at MoMA[00:08:56]: Christie’s digital restructuring debate[00:15:48]: The team on Raster[00:23:02]: Solana avant scene spotlight[00:40:31]: Market sentiment: Number-go-up but complicated[00:54:18]: Le Random Q3 focus and strategy[00:54:35]: Commission-led collecting: Juan RG and Copper Giloth[00:56:19]: Raster and Le Random[00:59:52]: Editorial themes and 100th article milestone[01:01:28]: Favorites of the third quarter[01:01:59]: Favorite group shows and releases[01:05:42]: Favorite solo releases and shows[01:11:12]: Favorite artists[01:12:44]: Favorite acquisitions: Juan RG commission[01:16:08]: Favorite editorials: Jasia's 100th, DEAFBEEF, Minne Atairu interview[01:19:50]: Looking ahead: FEMGEN 4 and guides[01:22:58]: Closing thoughts and thanks

In this Le Random podcast, special Exhibition Discussion edition, our editor in chief Peter Bauman (Monk Antony) speaks to three exhibiting artists of Infinite Images at the Toledo Museum of Art.Those artists are Erick Calderon (Snowfro), founder of Art Blocks, Sofia Crespo from Entangled Others and Tyler Hobbs.Chapters 📖:[00:00:00] Introduction[00:01:22] Exhibition Insights[00:02:26] Artists' Perspectives on Practice and Generativity's Breadth[00:07:45] Historical Influences[00:10:41] Communicating with New Audiences[00:14:13] Collaborative Dynamics and Artistic Processes00:17:08] Figuration vs. Abstraction[00:19:38] Generative Systems and AI Art00:27:04] Hows Software and Art Are Evolving[00:34:44] Institutional Interest and Market Realities[00:38:25] Navigating Funding Cuts in US[00:40:28] Engaging New Audiences