“Each Branch Of Coral Holds Up The Light Of The Moon” by Anicka Yi

2024 · colour · USA · no dialogue · 16’ · Swiss premiere

Anicka Yi’s “Each Branch of Coral Holds Up the Light of the Moon” is a video work crafted with Yi’s developing Emptiness software, which introduces the idea that art can transcend the physical and temporal boundaries of the artist’s existence. Serving as the inaugural piece of her broader Emptiness project, this video showcases the software as an evolving digital extension of her studio—an evolving archive that is being trained on over a decade of her work, capturing the studio’s hybrid and collaborative approach to creativity.

Anicka Yi
Each Branch Of Coral Holds Up The Light Of The Moon, 2024
Single channel video projection
Duration: 16:04 min
Courtesy the artist and Esther Schipper, Berlin/Paris/Seoul
Film still © the artist

The Emptiness software utilizes a blend of simulation and machine learning techniques to mimic, remix, and reinterpret Yi’s artworks as living virtual creatures. Drawing on Buddhist philosophy, the concept of Emptiness reflects a state of pure consciousness, free from the narratives that typically define human experience. The software functions as a bridge between 3D and 5D spaces—connecting the tangible, sensory world with the quantum field of infinite possibilities. This duality reflects Yi’s engagement with somatic and quantum meditation practices, exploring the intersections between physical experience and the limitless potential of the quantum realm.

Anicka Yi
Each Branch Of Coral Holds Up The Light Of The Moon, 2024
Single channel video projection
Duration: 16:04 min
Courtesy the artist and Esther Schipper, Berlin/Paris/Seoul
Film still © the artist