Dejan Grba's research in new media art combines mutually inspired artistic and theoretical work. In art projects, he explores the creative, technical and relational aspects of generative systems by defining new ways to interrelate the material and procedural features of various media with the narrative, expressive, experiential and reflexive values. Merging his technical background with extensive training in visual art disciplines, Dejan's new media practice is founded on research and experimentation, and is stylistically open. He has an active exhibition track with numerous solo shows, group exhibitions, festivals and curatorial projects in internationally renowned venues.
In theoretical work, Dejan examines the creative aspects of generative art within the conceptual, cognitive, and educational frameworks of new media art, science/technology and digital culture. Drawing on a well-established discourse in new media studies, his theoretical approach integrates exploration of literature with inquiry, reflection and artistic experience. It is informed by computer science, physics, biology and cognitive sciences, which allows him to combine critical thinking with empirical assessment, and to cultivate an awareness for fallacies and biases that manifest in the arts, science and technology.
Since 2015, his publication portfolio includes 35 contributions to peer-reviewed journals, edited volumes and conference proceedings. With nine papers and a book project currently in development, Dejan is conducting an extensive study of inventiveness, expression and meaning making in generative and AI art practices. It addresses diverse aspects of creativity in the arts, humanities and computer science by examining the artists’ and scientists’ approaches to digital technologies, the artistic overtones of science and engineering, and the ambiguities which influence these related fields. It explores the cognitive aspects of technological, methodological and content-related enrichment of human creativity, and the possible approaches to facilitating the authentic creative capabilities of automated systems.