Martin Zeilinger

Martin Zeilinger is a Senior Lecturer in Computational Arts & Technology within the Games & Art Division at Abertay University's School of Design and Informatics. He has also been affiliated with the University of Toronto's Comparative Literature department. With a background in film and comparative literature, Zeilinger functions as a researcher, practitioner, and curator in digital culture.

His research focuses on appropriation and cultural ownership in digital art and contemporary media practices. He critically examines intellectual property regimes, blockchain technologies in digital art markets, AI art and creative agency, remix culture, and the political economy of digital creative practices. His work often bridges theoretical critique with artistic practice, engaging with concepts like authorship, creative agency, and cultural ownership from multiple perspectives.

Zeilinger's publications reveal a consistent focus on how digital creative practices challenge traditional notions of authorship and ownership. His recent work explores AI art, blockchain technologies, and the financialization of digital art, while earlier publications examine live coding, chipmusic, and found footage film. A recurring theme is how these practices expose tensions between digital creativity and restrictive intellectual property frameworks.

As a curator, Zeilinger has co-organized exhibitions including Impedance: Games + Resistance and Networks 2.0: Emergence + Experimentation as part of the Vector Game + Art Convergence Festival. He has also organized panels on topics such as The Politics of Appropriation in Game Art and Dynamic Fair Dealing: Countering the Cultural Impact of Intellectual Property Law. His curatorial work reflects his interest in the intersection of games, art, and resistance against restrictive cultural frameworks.

Zeilinger's approach consistently bridges artistic practice with critical research, arguing for the critical role artistic practice can play in or as research. His scholarship demonstrates deep engagement with philosophical frameworks including Deleuze and Guattari, Baudrillard, and Debord, which he applies to contemporary digital culture and creative practices.