The Algorithmic Gaze: Datafication, Authorship, and Aesthetic Value in Post-Digital Art

Abstract

This paper examines the profound transformation of artistic practice, criticism, and curation in the post-digital era, a period defined by the pervasive influence of computation and data. We argue that we are witnessing a paradigm shift from a human-centric to an algorithmic model of art, characterized by what we term the "Algorithmic Gaze." This gaze encompasses the datafication of aesthetic experience, the reconfiguration of artistic authorship in human-AI collaborations, and the emergence of new, data-driven systems of aesthetic valuation. Through a critical analysis of contemporary art projects, institutional practices, and the underlying technological infrastructures, this paper explores how algorithms are not merely tools but active agents in the cultural field. The first section investigates the datafication of the art object and its reception, analyzing how visitor data, social media metrics, and digital archives transform art into quantifiable information. The second section deconstructs the concept of authorship through case studies of artists working with Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) and other AI systems, proposing a model of distributed agency. The third section critiques the new regimes of value and curation driven by algorithmic recommendation systems, predictive analytics, and NFT market data, questioning their impact on artistic diversity and critical discourse. The paper concludes by reflecting on the ethical and philosophical implications of the algorithmic gaze, arguing for a critical digital art history that can contend with these new forms of cultural production and consumption. It calls for a renewed emphasis on human criticality to navigate the seductive but often opaque logic of the algorithm.