A Bugged Forest, 2022
Ink on paper
11 1/4 x 11 1/4 in / 28.7 x 28.7 cm


“A Bugged Forest” is the long-form generative continuation of an earlier algorithm—one that contained a coding error the artist chose to preserve. Embracing this unexpected flaw became a conceptual foundation: a meditation on relinquishing control, welcoming chance, and honoring unpredictability as an essential force of nature and art.
This particular drawing was plotted a day before the public release of the digital series. Zancan had kept the launch entirely secret, teasing only a photograph of the plot alongside a message that he was heading off to a metal festival and would be “offline, thinking of you” — punctuated with a wink.
The unexpected release generated an immediate surge of interest and acquisitions, establishing "A Bugged Forest" as a significant milestone in Zancan’s generative practice. The series is distinguished by its spontaneity and sincerity, with each iteration of a tree serving as a quiet metaphor for human singularities, flaws, scars, and vulnerabilities, embraced rather than concealed. It is a testament to the expressive potential of generative art when guided by both intention and accident