Claus Wilke Turns Data Science Into NFT Art

The molecular evolution Professor found a way to break out from his routine by creating NFTs

I discovered Claus Wilke’s generative at work through my newsletter, as he has been one of the earlier supporters. Besides producing NFTs that use complex mathematical methods and techniques, he has a sustainable NFT investment strategy which I mentioned on Are you a good NFT investor and collector? I sat down with Claus to learn more about his background, generative artwork, influences, and why he was drawn to this space.

Sneronoi #6 by Claus Wilke (animated) is his genesis collection on the FxHash platform.

How did you discover NFTs?

Let me first talk about my connection with generative art, which goes back many decades. As a teenager, in the late 1980s, I discovered the book The Beauty of Fractals, and I was fascinated by the images it showed. I then also read The Fractal Geometry of Nature by Mandelbrot, and I tried to generate some fractals on my Commodore computer. It was so slow. Later, during my PhD, I worked in the fields of complex systems and artificial life, and so I encountered Conway’s Game of Life, cellular automata, L systems, and pattern-generating reaction-diffusion systems. So all my life I’ve been immersed in the math that makes the foundation of generative art. I didn’t really think about it in terms of art, though. To me, it was…