Yucef Merhi

I have been exploring the interconnections between language and technology, creating interactive environments, computer based works and digital applications, while proposing various ways to experience natural language and code. The comprehension of this duet led me to develop methods and machines in order to address social, political, and philosophical issues. Most of this content has been comprised in poetic constructions.

One of my firmest convictions is that poetry transforms objects into art in the same way that it converts noise into music. The physical object in my work is an extension of the poem, which expands the potential of words and extends the limits of language; while poetry becomes a prolongation of the object, providing an emotive and meaningful presence. The relation poem-object that I outline redefines the role of the poet and our experience of written poetry in our present.

Since poetry is subversive by nature, I have been doing projects and actions that show the vulnerability of governments, corporations, institutions and political figures, such as hacking into the email account of the late President of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez; obtaining and reprogramming the source code of the first 3D computer game ever made; appropriating the user’s database of the largest telecommunication company in Venezuela; or getting and using the credit card of the old British Artist, Damien Hirst.

Dealing with these systems made me realize innovative ways for human and mechanical expression. In this sense, I refer to my work as new media, as it deals with our culture by considering contemporary issues and technologies, displaying the boundless possibilities between language and technology, as well as the inevitable fluxes of poetry.

(Source: Artist Statement)