by Harto

Recursive Memory

11.12.2025

RECURSIVE

MEMORY

Recursive Memory marks the debut collaboration between acclaimed digital artist Harto and the Museum of Art and Light, presented in partnership with Iconic as part of the Permanent Collection Series.

Bridging the tangible and the immutable, this release exists both as a physical artwork and a Bitcoin Ordinal, exploring how memory, code, and permanence intertwine. A 1/1 edition of Recursive Memory—in both print and Ordinal form—will be accessioned into the Museum of Art and Light’s Permanent Collection, preserving the work within the institution’s legacy.

In addition, 15 ordinals from the series will be made available to collectors on a first-come, first-served basis, each accompanied by a hand-embellished, signed and numbered print, uniting physical and digital expressions of Harto’s vision.

ABOUT

RECURSIVE MEMORY

“In an age where machines generate images faster than we can feel them, Recursive Memory steps into the in-between, a liminal space where code, machine, and human blur into a single continuum of creation.

This work did not begin with a brushstroke. It began with an algorithm. Written in p5.js, the code acted as a seed: a structure of controlled randomness, a script capable of unfolding endless variations. What appeared first was not an image, but a possibility, a score waiting to be played.

The pen plotter continued the sequence. Mechanical, meticulous, tireless, it translated instructions into lines across the surface. It was a first gesture, carried out without hesitation, without doubt, without deviation. Something, however, was absent.

The artist entered not at the origin but at the interruption. With acrylics, pastels, smudges and scratches, the human hand reappeared. Not to fix, but to disturb. To bring hesitation, resistance, emotion, imperfection. The canvas became a meeting ground between logical order and instinctive presence.

The result refuses to be placed neatly into categories. It is neither purely artificial nor purely human, neither strictly generative nor strictly painterly. It exists in the interval where authorship disperses.”

Recursive Memory creation process.

Creation Process: Recursive Memory

  1. Code as Origin
    The work begins with p5.js sketches—geometric forms generated by code, setting the foundation for controlled randomness.

  2. Mechanical Inscription
    A plotter translates these digital sketches into precise physical lines, echoing the permanence of Bitcoin Ordinals.

  3. Human Intervention
    Harto layers oil and acrylic over the plotted forms, disrupting the algorithmic surface with gesture, texture, and imperfection.

  4. Machine Reflection
    A photograph of the canvas is analyzed by AI, which proposes speculative annotations—arrows, words, and marks—offering its own “reading” of the work.

  5. Dialogic Reinscription
    The artist responds, adding or resisting these cues, creating new gestures in dialogue with the machine.

  6. Final Form
    Each cycle of code, plot, paint, and reflection builds upon the last, forming a recursive record of creation—an interplay between human and algorithm, permanence and change.

ABOUT

HARTO

Born in Spain in 1993, Harto (Arturo Fernández Rodríguez) merges the natural world, theatricality, and digital innovation in his art and design practice. After earning a degree in industrial design and prototyping in 2016, he worked as a designer and art director before moving to France, where four years in street theatre—creating large-scale inflatables, light installations, and performances—honed his sense of spectacle and spatial storytelling.

His work now fuses algorithmic systems, generativity, and conceptual installation, with exhibitions in New York, Miami, Hong Kong, Berlin, London, and Basel, including presentations with the Sigg Art Foundation at Art Meta. Institutional highlights include the Belvedere Museum in Vienna, where he created Floraforms inspired by Klimt’s The Kiss, and the Francisco Carolinum Linz Museum, collaborating with Ana María Caballero and Áncora on Arrangements.

In 2022, Harto was among 50 international artists to launch the first NFT into space via the Rakia mission, and has since collaborated with Asprey Studio, Expanded Gallery, and Forbes. Through these projects, Harto bridges avant-garde traditions with a forward-looking vision that redefines the intersection of art, technology, and performance.

Digital + Physical Editions

Collectors of Recursive Memory will also receive a matching hand-signed, hand-numbered fine-art print rendered on museum-quality Hahnemühle Photo Rag. Each print corresponds one-to-one with your Recursive Memory ordinal, preserving the work’s intent across both mediums.

Print Details

  • Paper: Museum quality Hahnemühle Photo Rag

  • Signature & Edition: Hand-embellished, signed and numbered by Harto

  • Print Size: 25.5 x 33.4 in. / 65 x 85 cm.

  • Image Match: Your print matches your Recursive Memory ordinal

Buyers are responsible for any applicable import duties or VAT on their print purchase. Please allow up to 10 weeks for your print to arrive.

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ABOUT:

THE RELEASE

  • Every collector of Recursive Memory by Harto will also receive a matching hand-embellished, signed and numbered print.

  • Each collector of Recursive Memory will receive a unique Bitcoin Ordinal created by Harto through his groundbreaking, recursive creative process. In addition, collectors can claim a matching print, hand-embellished, signed, and numbered by the artist.

    Because the digital work is directly tied to the card’s NFC chip, the Art Card also serves as a living certificate of provenance.

  • The Museum of Art + Light’s Permanent Collection Series is a groundbreaking initiative designed to celebrate and preserve the evolving world of contemporary and digital art. This series features exclusive releases that bridge the physical and digital realms, offering collectors the opportunity to acquire limited-edition artworks from some of the most influential and innovative artists of our time.

    As part of each release, a piece will be added to MoA+L's permanent collection, further enriching the museum's legacy and commitment to showcasing groundbreaking works. By curating these unique pieces, the Permanent Collection Series not only engages the global art community but also solidifies the museum's role in exploring the dynamic intersection of art and technology for generations to come.

Recursive Memory Sale
Wednesday, November 12th at 12PM EST

  • Collection Size

    15 Ordinals & Matching Prints

  • Purchase Price

    $2000 USD Paid Via Credit Card, ETH or BTC

  • Print Price

    Included with Ordinal Purchase

  • Purchase Link

    TBA

About
The MoA+L Permanent Collection Series

The Museum of Art + Light’s Permanent Collection Series is a groundbreaking initiative designed to celebrate and preserve the evolving world of contemporary and digital art. This series features exclusive releases that bridge the physical and digital realms, offering collectors the opportunity to acquire limited-edition artworks from some of the most influential and innovative artists of our time.

As part of each release, a piece will be added to MoA+L's permanent collection, further enriching the museum's legacy and commitment to showcasing groundbreaking works. By curating these unique pieces, the Permanent Collection Series not only engages the global art community but also solidifies the museum's role in exploring the dynamic intersection of art and technology for generations to come.

About Iconic

At the core of Iconic’s mission is the integration of traditional art institutions and emerging digital networks.

Founded in 2015, Iconic is a global pioneer in expanding the reach of cultural institutions and the arts. Iconic partners with museums, digital artists, and brands to produce incredible digital and physical art for cultural collectors around the world.

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