Who started glitch art and where did it come from?

Glitch art emerged from multiple sources converging in the late 20th century. The aesthetic has roots in video art, electronic music, and digital experimentation, with no single origin point.

Nam June Paik’s 1960s video art experiments, including deliberate TV signal manipulation, established precedent for treating technological errors as artistic material. The Vasulkas (Steina and Woody) further developed video synthesis and signal processing as art forms through the 1970s.

Digital glitch art crystallized in the 1990s and 2000s. Artists like JODI (Joan Heemskerk and Dirk Paesmans) created deliberately broken websites and software. Cory Arcangel modified video game cartridges. The term “glitch art” itself gained currency through online communities and exhibitions in the mid-2000s.

Key figures include Rosa Menkman, whose “Glitch Studies Manifesto” (2009-2010) articulated theoretical frameworks; Nick Briz, known for glitch education and community building; and Phillip Stearns, who creates glitched textiles. The Chicago-based GLI.TC/H festivals (2010-2012) helped establish glitch as a recognized art movement.

The practice continues evolving as new technologies introduce new failure modes to explore. Our glitch art history page covers key movements and artists in depth.