Swan Collective's multidimensional oeuvre explores the soul in an artificial shell, searching for consciousness in the data stream. Where does a room start thinking, why does the app feel claustrophobic, when does my avatar break free from the human condition? Analog architectural paintings are digitized and provide the playing field for interactive virtual reality experiences. Book excerpts by the group's author serve as stories for the animations, and the members of the Swan Collective lead the way as 3D-scanned characters through the abysses of the coming technology (r)evolution and spend a parallel life in virtuality. But what if artificial intelligence had preferred to stay stupid?

Swan Collective is the pseudonym of artist Felix Kraus. He embodies five different alter egos created by him, each of which uses their own technique. This results in overlapping works from virtual and augmented reality, painting, paper embossing, literature, and performance.

 

Their works have been exhibited in institutions such as the Lyon Biennial, Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, Museum CCBB in Sao Paulo/Rio de Janeiro, W139 in Amsterdam, MdbK Leipzig, Kunsthalle Schweinfurt or Goethe Institut in Toronto. As a member of the Swan Collective he has also participated in various screenings and exhibitions, including Sundance Film Festival, Goethe Institut Paris/Novosibirsk. At the LOOP Festival Barcelona, the Filmfest Ludwigsburg and the Toronto New Wave Festival he was awarded first prize for his films. In 2019 he received the Berlin Literary Scholarship and in 2024 he published his debut novel.