ProtoMachines Observers

ProtoMachines Observers
A series of digital images, acrylic/gouache/watercolour paintings on paper, cardboard and canvas, watercolour drawings on paper and canvas (various dimensions), audiovisual work, 4K video, 16:9
3D, Generative AI, sound, painting, drawing: Tanja Vujinovic
Production: Tanja Vujinovic / Ultramono, 2025–ongoing

ProtoMachines Observers explores how ProtoMachines can inhabit contemporary virtual environments. Through the lens of familiar, game-like worlds, these imagined exhibitions showcase ProtoMachines in an array of speculative realities. This playful series invites these hybrid artworks to engage with characters and avatars in virtual settings, bridging the gap between digital art and popular interactive narratives. Inspired by legendary video game environments, the characters and settings create a surreal juxtaposition of organic and synthetic forms within speculative, game-like universes, conceptualized in the accessible pixelated worlds of today’s digital culture.

Throughout history, small inanimate objects have served as more than mere tools—they’ve been our helpers, our companions, and vessels of imagination. Ancient dolls, ritualistic toys, and cherished trinkets carried the dreams of their makers, guiding us through moments of wonder and solace. Today’s gadgets and robotic devices have evolved into intimate companions that not only serve functional roles but also mirror our deepest needs and aspirations.

This enduring impulse to animate the inanimate finds new life in contemporary art. Digital technologies and speculative design transform ordinary objects into dynamic entities that seem to breathe, think, and even feel. In ProtoMachines Observers, synthetic characters become playful, anthropomorphic helpers that echo the spirit of historical relics while embodying futuristic promise. These digital beings bridge the gap between the organic and the technological, inviting us to see every object as a source of wonder and connection in our ever-evolving world.