Gavin Shapiro

The artist.

• Sotheby's, Paris, France - "Natively Digital: Oddly Satisfying" exhibition and auction (2023)
• Beeple Studios Grand Opening × Christie's, Charleston SC (2023)
• Solo exhibition "Circular Stories", 0x Society gallery in Montreal, Canada (2023)
• House of DiMotion, NFT exhibition in Berlin, Germany (2022 - 2023)
• B3 Biennale of the Moving Image, Frankfurt, Germany (2022)
• Sotheby's, New York City - "Inside the World of MaxStealth: A Timeless Collection" exhibition and auction (2022)
• Non Fungible Conference × NFT Lisbon, Ash Two Metamorphosis exhibit in Lisbon, Portugal (2022)
• NUR International Media Arts Festival, Kazan, Russia (2022)
• BrawHaux × EP7 - Outdoor installation in Paris, France (2021)
• Neal Digital Gallery, C Future Lab - Outdoor installation and indoor exhibition for NFT Art Week in Shenzhen, China (2021)
• NeoShibuyaTV - Outdoor installation in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan (2020)
• ZAZ10TS - Outdoor installation in Times Square, New York City (2020)

Twenty Adélie penguins take turns walking in perfectly straight lines across the diameter of a circular field of snow. From the perspective of the penguins, their objective is nothing more than a straightforward trip from one icy cave to another. Viewed from the above, however, we see a circular pattern emerge, formed by the collective motion of the individuals.

Based on a well-known optical illusion, Twenty Straight Lines aims to articulate satisfying kinetic principles through an emotionally relatable lens. Waddling penguins are used to humorously breathe life into a simple geometric pattern, inviting the viewer to consider the algorithmic relationship between individuals and the groups they form.

Gavin Shapiro is a digital artist whose ultimate goal is to produce work that makes you smile. He focuses primarily on playful conceptual artworks that explore how we can use digital tools to confront our expectations of what’s possible in a traditionally physical art world.

He's lived in New York, Osaka and Paris, working on a large variety of projects including tv shows, commercials, outdoor displays, large-format stage visuals, and animations for casino games.

His personal work, released under the name “shapiro500,” has been used as visuals at music festivals and concerts all over the world, and has been shown on digital billboards as part of art exhibitions in New York City, Paris and Tokyo.

His animations have accumulated hundreds of millions of views across Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, and Giphy, and have been sold as NFTs on Nifty Gateway and SuperRare since mid-2020.