Anicka Yi Each Branch Of Coral Holds Up The Light Of The Moon, 2024

Anicka Yi’s Each Branch of Coral Holds Up the Light of the Moon is a video work crafted with her developing Emptiness software, which introduces the idea that art can transcend the physical and temporal boundaries of the artist's existence. Serving as the inaugural piece of her broader Emptiness project, this video showcases the software as an evolving “digital twin” of her studio—an evolving archive that is being trained on over a decade of her work, capturing the studio’s hybrid and collaborative approach to creativity.

The Emptiness software utilizes a blend of simulation and machine learning techniques to mimic, remix, and reinterpret Yi's artworks as living virtual creatures. Drawing on Buddhist philosophy, the concept of Emptiness reflects a state of pure consciousness, free from the narratives that typically define human experience. The software functions as a bridge between 3D and 5D spaces—connecting the tangible, sensory world with the quantum field of infinite possibilities. This duality reflects Yi's engagement with somatic and quantum meditation practices, exploring the intersections between physical experience and the limitless potential of the quantum realm.