Anicka Yi Within Emptiness 005, 2024

Anicka Yi’s lenticular prints Within Emptiness draw on the imagery of her 2024 video Each Branch of Coral Holds Up the Light of the Moon which was crafted with her developing Emptiness software. The Emptiness software utilizes a blend of simulation and machine learning techniques to mimic, remix, and reinterpret Yi's artworks as living virtual creatures.

The larger project surrounding Emptiness presents 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. 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.