Ash Kleczka
I'm a queer artist, sometimes writer, general internet cryptid - an ancient one from the old days of the web with a vested interest in bringing back some of what I grew up enjoying back from the dead. I fully believe we deserve internet third spaces in the same way we deserve them in person.
My first run-in with HTML was self-taught through Neopets (of all places) back in the early 2000s, and I took a renewed interest in it about three years ago when I discovered Neocities - a modern community of HTML enthusiasts echoing what Geocities and Angelfire provided in the before times.
Last year I started developing the thesis for this show as my dad was beginning to truly decline in health. It got me thinking about my family history with technology, creativity, and the arts, and how intertwined they are. I wanted to use the time I had left with him to work together showing off this little niche that's (I think) pretty overlooked and underappreciated right now as a result of the hyperfocus on generative AI and predatory tech bro culture.
Across The Vault I've included tons of pixel art that I've created, as well as pieces that I've collected from both "old internet" archived sites, as well as modern personal sites.
Contrary to the online etiquette we see today, sharing pixel art and other images between sites like this was an expected practice! Just make sure to add attribution, and no hotlinking ;)
Why not leave me a note while you're here?
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Blood Gems
