Rafael Rozendaal

Rafael Rozendaal is a Dutch-Brazailian net artist. He was born in 1980 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He currently lives and works in New York. His other works includes installations, tapestries, lenticulars and haiku. He began selling his websites to collectors, in order to keep the work public and accessible to viewers worldwide.

Most of his websites require the viewer's interaction. In "Cold Void" (2008), the viewer's computer scene is black with thin, white lines representing a spider web. The web is attached to all four sides of the computer scene. By clicking and dragging the mouse, the viewer is able to manipulate the appearance of the web. After a certain amount of clicking and dragging, the viewer can destroy the web, ending with a completely black computer screen. "Fill This Up" (2014) consists of geometric shapes of pastel colors. The shapes follow in a line wherever the viewer's mouse is. The shapes and colors are completely random. When the viewer clickes on the mouse, the color of the shapes are turned to white. While clicking and dragging, the viewer is able to color the screen white, leaving no trace of the pastel colors before hand.

Rozendaal's tapestries are generated by "Abstract Browsing." In 2014, Rozendaal created a Chrome extension called "Abstract Browsing." This extensions turn the contents on the computer into a composition of colorful squares and rectangles. When surfing on the web, Rozendaal would use this extension and would take a screenshot whenever an interesting composition appeared. Out of the thousands of screenshots, Rozendaal picks the most interesting composition to make a physical tapestry.

When exhibiting his work in a gallery space, Rozendaal displays his websites, but adds another element that creates an experience different from viewing the work on a computer screen. In "Everything Dies" (2012) and "Into Time" (2012), Rozendaal projected his websites on the walls, and covered the floor with pieces of broken glass. The glass mirrored and fractured the work that was being projected. In "Soft Focus" (2015), Rozendaal projected all his websites in a warehouse space. The websites were projected at multiple angles surrounding the viewer. The floor was covered with sand which showed the viewer's footprints. Rozendaal has shown his websites outside in public spaces such as New York's Time Square and the Cleveland Institute of Art.