Monokai is the working name of Wimer Hazenberg, a Dutch artist working at the intersection of code and design. Trained in photography and holding a master's in Artificial Intelligence, he learned to program at an early age and has been fascinated by how computers can produce aesthetically interesting work. He creates code-based work he classifies as algorithmic art, distinguished from AI-generated art by his direct, deliberate control over the algorithm.
In 2006 he created the Monokai color scheme for code editors, which has been used by millions of developers worldwide. Later, he turned to algorithmic art, a term he prefers over generative art, since the word 'generative' has become closely associated with AI image generators built on trained models and text prompts. He defines algorithmic art as art “created by an autonomous system executing an algorithm, where the artist carefully designs the boundaries of its computational space”. Using a pen plotter, an AxiDraw V3/A3 he set up to run wirelessly via a Raspberry Pi in 2021, he physically draws his SVG-based algorithmic works on paper.
