Yoshiyuki Abe

Yoshiyuki Abe was born in 1947 in Gunma, Japan. He studied Photographic Engineering at Chiba University from 1966 to 1970 and later earned a master’s degree in Arts and Science at the Open University of Japan. From 1972 to 1983 he worked in the film industry as an assistant director, sound recording engineer, and director of short films. He also worked as a photographer, producing documentary and commercial images, before beginning to explore computer technology.

In 1980 Abe began teaching himself computer-aided design and programming in Pascal and C, developing his own graphics software to explore how mathematical logic could generate form. He became interested in algorithmic image construction and stochastic processes, creating visual systems in which random variables and defined parameters produced structures that shifted between order and unpredictability. Abe developed a distinct approach that combined geometric modeling, ray tracing, and early 3D rendering to study how variation, distortion, and repetition could emerge from code. This methodology shaped a series of long-term projects including Stochastica, Crossmodulation, Geometrica, Legend, Flow, and LightingArt, each examining different relationships between geometry, motion, and probability. He published texts on digital art and computer graphics, including Computer Art and Artists in Japan, which documented early developments in the field, and Mathematics and Art Creation, which examined the role of randomness and parameter control in algorithmic systems. 

Abe’s work was exhibited internationally for more than three decades across festivals and institutions dedicated to computer and digital art, including SIGGRAPH, ISEA, Prix Ars Electronica, Eurographics, and Computerkunst. His exhibitions ranged from Legend at Le Mont des Arts in Brussels in 1994 to Drawing with Code at the deCordova Museum in 2011, Digital Art @ Sony Center in Berlin in 2013, and Generative Art in Ghent in 2014. He received numerous distinctions, among them Honorary Mentions at Prix Ars Electronica, first prizes at Eurographics and Pixxelpoint, and other awards recognizing his contributions to computer graphics and fine art. Abe passed away in 2024.