Carla Gannis's Digital Portraits Illuminate Times Square in Midnight Moment Program

Carla Gannis presents 'Portraits in Landscape' as part of the Midnight Moment program in Times Square, where her digital artwork appears on electronic billboards for three minutes each night at 11:57 PM throughout August. The program, organized by Times Square Arts, temporarily replaces commercial advertisements with contemporary art. Gannis, a painter and digital artist who leads the digital arts program at Pratt Institute, is known for her emoji-based reinterpretation of Hieronymous Bosch's 'The Garden of Earthly Delights'. Her current work draws inspiration from Giuseppe Arcimboldo, using synthetic components to create portraits of avatars taking selfies, reflecting the tourist activity below. The installation utilizes multi-story, 8K retina displays. Previous artists featured in Midnight Moment include Tracey Emin, Sophie Calle, Alex Prager, and Pipilotti Rist. The program runs daily, with the art displayed until midnight before billboards revert to regular content. Gannis's work explores the intersection of traditional art techniques and digital media. The project highlights the public art initiatives of the Times Square Alliance. The artwork was photographed by Yuliya Lanina. The feature was published by artcritical.