Vera Molnár, in collaboration with Martin Grasser

Vera Molnár is a significant figure in the history of computer art. Her engagement with algorithmic processes began in the late 1960s, establishing a practice that has continued for several decades. The series *Themes and Variations* was created in collaboration with the artist Martin Grasser. This body of work represents Molnár’s personal reflection on her extended engagement with her 'machine imaginaire', or imaginary computer, during a period of renewed attention towards digitally native art forms. The project is described by the artists as her first and only generative series of this nature.

The *Themes and Variations* series consists of 500 unique generative artworks. For this project, Molnár revisited core ideas that have informed her work since she first started using computers. The central method involves treating letters as pure abstract shapes and intentionally introducing an element of disorder into the system. Molnár would establish a set of rules for the machine to follow. She would then grant it a measure of autonomy, allowing the program to generate outcomes that could challenge or contradict her initial instructions. This dynamic between the artist and the machine produces results that extend her creative process into new territories.

The formal basis for these works are the letters N, F, and T. Molnár’s treatment of them as abstract components is a consistent theme in her art. She described finding a musical resonance in the resulting compositions, comparing the process to Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations or Ludwig van Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations. This parallel with classical music directly inspired the series title. For the viewer, each work is not just a static image but a record of a generative event, a variation that explores the interplay between human instruction and computational chance.