.gif Shop

Artistic collaborators since 2006, Admiral Potato and Adam ‘The Obviologist’ Heath have worked together on projects of creative expression across multiple mediums. From professional roots in photography, print design, and motion graphics, this dynamic duo arrived on the “GIF Art Scene” 3 years ago to make waves and raise eyebrows. In this series of 12 perfectly looping animations, the two collaborated on every design – from starting concept, shape, and material, to motion, composition, and lighting.

The Obviologist, has an intimate understanding of the principles of light and composition that would later inform his entree into the GIF scene. A passion for taking all things beautiful, and showing them to the world is what keeps the Obviologist sane in a world that he believes could always use a little more beauty.

Admiral Potato, design scientist, has been employed professionally as a data visualization specialist, motion graphic designer, software developer, and production artist for 13 years. Admiral comes at the creative process from much more of an algorithmic and mathematical approach. He is extremely passionate about what he does, and spends a considerable amount of time dedicated to developing new techniques and workflows involving each his crafts and skill sets.

About .gif Shop

Perhaps without being aware, the short digital animation file known as the “.gif” is one of the most shared and looked at forms of visual communication. Many contemporary artists have become aware of the .gifs engaging power and have twisted what was once thought of as an advertising medium into a form of artistic expression.

UMOCA will drive head-on into one of the most consistently bedeviling questions for the art world today, what is “contemporary art” and how does it relate to pop-culture? For .gif Shop, UMOCA has curated examples of .gifs animations that exemplify the medium as something greater than brief comedy loops.  With the combination of traditional color theory, the aesthetics of painting, and the use fractal mathematics, these .gif’s not only echo classical art making, they are truly mesmerizing.