Rafaël Rozendaal

Rafaël Rozendaal (Amsterdam, 1980) is a Dutch-Brazilian artist living in New York, recognized as a pioneer of internet art. He uses the internet as his canvas, creating interactive websites, animations, NFTs, installations, tapestries, prints, and texts. Rozendaal’s work is characterized by its colorful, playful, and often abstract moving images, inviting viewers to engage with art in both digital and physical spaces. He is also one of the few digital artists with a special exposition at the MoMa in 2025.

Rozendaal was among the first artists to sell websites as art objects, with collectors purchasing the domain names under the condition that the works remain publicly accessible. His Art Website Sales Contract is now a standard for artists and collectors dealing in digital art. 

Themes and Inspiration

Rozendaal’s art is driven by a fascination with moving images, interactivity, and the transformation of visual language from digital to physical forms. He explores the tension between abstraction and figuration, often reducing everyday subjects to their most minimal, essential lines—a style he calls “minimal figuration”. His work references both art history and digital culture, drawing inspiration from modern painters like Kazimir Malevich and Piet Mondrian, as well as early video games and the aesthetics of the internet. Rozendaal is interested in how art can exist and circulate freely online, questioning traditional notions of art ownership, audience, and authenticity. He sees no hierarchy between digital and physical works, believing that experiencing his art on a computer screen is just as authentic as viewing it in a gallery.

Why Rafaël?

Rafaël Rozendaal offers a unique perspective on contemporary art by bridging the online and offline worlds. His innovative use of the internet as an artistic medium challenges conventional boundaries, making art more accessible and interactive for a global audience. Rozendaal’s works invite viewers to reflect on the evolving nature of images, technology, and participation in art. Whether encountered as a website, a tapestry, or a monumental installation, his creations are visually engaging, conceptually rich, and deeply attuned to the digital age. For anyone curious about how art adapts to and shapes our technological culture, Rozendaal’s practice is both pioneering and essential.

Rozendaal’s work has been exhibited, amongst others, at the following venues: MoMa, New York (USA),  Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (USA), Centre Pompidou, Paris (FR), Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam (NL), Kunstverein Frankfurt, (DE), Kawasaki City Museum,Kawasaki (JP), New Museum, New York (NY, USA), Nam June Paik Art Center Seoul (KOR), Hammer Museum Los Angeles (USA), Kunsthal Rotterdam (NL),  Times Square Midnight Moments New York (NY, USA), Telfair Museum, Savannah (GA, USA), Centre d’Art Bastille, Grenoble (FR), With Project Space, New York (NY, USA) and Towada Art Center (JP)

Site

https://www.newrafael.com/

Interviews

https://www.moma.org/magazine/articles/1158

https://www.itsnicethat.com/features/in-conversation-rafael-rozendaal-digital-201020