ooakosimo
Overview
Mohini, known professionally under the X handle @OoakosiM, is a Manila-based new media artist whose practice fuses the raw energy of urban Filipino life with the experimental frontiers of digital technology. Emerging from the vibrant yet chaotic streets of Cubao in the Philippines, Mohini began as a self-taught creator immersed in the local music and underground scenes before channeling that restless spirit into visual and interactive works. With a bio that proudly declares affiliations with #SpamArt, #TrashArt, #CryptoArt, #spamTV, #DIYsynth, and #NewMediaART, the artist has cultivated a distinctive voice that celebrates the beauty of the discarded, the glitched, and the algorithmically generated. Over the past decade, Mohini has transitioned from personal websites hosted on neocities to minting interactive pieces on platforms like SuperRare, establishing a presence that bridges analog rebellion with blockchain-era collectibility.
The artist’s trajectory reflects a deliberate embrace of “accidental” artistry, rooted in a lacto-vegetarian childhood in the 1980s Philippines and evolving through encounters with philosophy, music, and makeshift technology. Mohini’s work often draws from lived experiences—late-night jazz festivals in Makati, shared bottles of Tanduay with friends like the late Laura Austria, and improvisational singing sessions that mirror the spontaneity of creation. This biographical foundation infuses the oeuvre with authenticity, positioning Mohini not merely as a digital provocateur but as a chronicler of consciousness in an age of technological convergence. Today, with a dedicated following on X, Mohini continues to expand the boundaries of what constitutes art in the spam-saturated, crypto-infused digital commons.
Artistic Style & Medium
Mohini’s artistic style is a visceral collision of glitch aesthetics, spam culture, and interactive web technologies, rendered through mediums that prioritize accessibility and ephemerality over polished permanence. Primary tools include p5.js for WebGL stereoscopic experiences, custom DIY synthesizers, and lo-fi video manipulations that evoke the flickering glow of old cathode-ray tubes. Works often incorporate found imagery, algorithmic distortions, and real-time generative elements, transforming everyday digital detritus into hypnotic, immersive environments. The “TrashArt” and “SpamArt” labels are not ironic but celebratory, elevating the overlooked pixels and code fragments of the internet age into sculptural statements that pulse with chaotic vitality.
In pieces like live WebGL tributes, Mohini layers stereoscopic depth with philosophical overlays, creating portals that feel both intimate and expansive. The integration of DIY synth elements adds an auditory dimension, where sonic textures—hissing static, fragmented beats, and resonant drones—complement the visual noise. This multimedia approach rejects high-fidelity perfection in favor of a deliberately imperfect, hand-hewn quality reminiscent of early net art pioneers, yet updated for the crypto era. Mediums extend beyond the screen to physical manifestations such as printed glitch stills and interactive installations, always anchored in the artist’s commitment to open-source ethos and rapid, iterative experimentation.
Influences & Themes
Central to Mohini’s practice is a profound engagement with Aldous Huxley’s explorations of perception, consciousness, and societal control, particularly as reimagined through the lens of contemporary technology. The “Tech Epochalypse” series explicitly channels Huxley’s The Doors of Perception, positing the reducing valve of the mind as a metaphor for algorithmic filters and digital surveillance. This philosophical underpinning intersects with Filipino cultural memory—references to jazz improvisation, communal storytelling in Manila’s underground venues, and the improvisational survival tactics of urban life—creating a hybrid narrative that is at once personal and universal. Influences range from the raw energy of local music scenes to broader cyberpunk and glitch art traditions, filtered through a distinctly Southeast Asian perspective on globalization and media saturation.
Recurring themes include the convergence of technology and human consciousness, the reclamation of discarded cultural artifacts, and the alchemy of the everyday into the transcendent. Mohini frequently explores rebellion against normative structures, whether through spam-like proliferation of images or the DIY construction of sonic and visual instruments. The artist’s tributes to Huxley underscore a fascination with altered states—whether induced by substances, code, or collective experience—while personal anecdotes from Cubao and Makati ground these abstractions in tangible warmth and nostalgia. Themes of memory, loss, and communal joy (evident in memorial posts) further enrich the work, transforming individual biography into collective resonance.
Notable Works & Exhibitions
Among Mohini’s standout creations is the WebGL p5.js stereoscopic tribute The Doors of Perception, a live interactive piece minted on SuperRare that remixes Huxley’s philosophy into a dynamic exploration of perception’s reducing valve amid technological convergence. Another key work, Aldous Huxley • Smoke & Thought • Doors of Perception, pairs visual and textual elements with quotes on human kindness, hosted via chonkly_gallery and accompanied by atmospheric video loops. The “Tech Epochalypse” collection stands as a cornerstone series, blending generative code with philosophical inquiry. Earlier experiments include the pioneering personal website mohini.neocities.org, a foundational showcase of spam and trash aesthetics that marked the artist’s entry into self-hosted digital realms.
While formal gallery exhibitions remain intimate and community-driven, Mohini’s presence thrives in crypto-native spaces and X-driven showcases, including live streams of baking-as-performance art like Ginger-Clove-Cinnamon Chamomile Black Sesame Wheatgerm Oat Biscuits • Pantry Alchemist Time-Lapse and video tributes shared within niche new media circles. Collaborations with platforms like SuperRare and chonkly highlight the artist’s integration into the NFT ecosystem, where pieces serve as both collectibles and portals for viewer interaction. These works often debut alongside personal narratives, such as reminiscences of Manila jazz festivals, deepening their emotional and contextual layers.
Impact & Recognition
Mohini’s impact lies in democratizing new media art for audiences outside traditional institutions, proving that spam, trash, and glitch can carry profound philosophical weight while fostering genuine community. By minting on SuperRare and sharing DIY processes openly on X, the artist has inspired a generation of Filipino and Southeast Asian creators to embrace crypto tools and web-based experimentation without gatekeepers. The fusion of personal memoir with generative technology has resonated in niche circles, sparking dialogues on consciousness in the digital age and the preservation of cultural memory through ephemeral media.
Recognition comes primarily through engaged online followings—over four thousand on X—and peer appreciation within crypto art and new media communities, where tributes to Huxley and interactive pieces earn acclaim for their conceptual depth and technical ingenuity. Mohini’s refusal to conform to conventional art-world polish has carved a unique niche, influencing discussions around accessibility, rebellion, and the alchemy of the overlooked. As blockchain and web technologies evolve, Mohini’s oeuvre continues to affirm the power of the accidental artist to reshape cultural narratives from the margins of Manila to the global digital frontier.