Coded Secrets

Yannick Westphal

Yannick Westphal

Research assistant COSE project

yannick.westphal@partner.kit.edu

https://hacking.art

mail@hacking.art

Yannick Westphal is a German artist and researcher currently based in Berlin, working at the intersection of hacking, IT security, and digital art. With a Diploma in Media Arts (cum laude), his practice merges net.art, cyber aesthetics, and investigative digital forensics.

Alongside his artistic work, Yannick has spent many years as a hacker and IT security analyst, navigating the hidden architectures of the digital world. This dual expertise informs his creative process, where he examine the concealed codes and secrets embedded in the digital fabric. His research-driven approach asks: What lies beneath the surface of our networked reality?

Through his project hacking.art, Yannick blends technical precision with artistic subversion, transforming encrypted realities into thought-provoking interactive works and visual narratives. His work challenges viewers to reconsider the opacity of the digital world and the hidden mechanisms that shape our online experiences.

Vita

Seit 2017: IT-Security Analyse & Beratung

Seit 2018: Verschiedene Freiberufliche Tätigkeiten im Bereich Kunst und Computer

Seit 2022: KIT – Mitarbeit an Forschungsprojekt

Ausbildung

2017 bis 2021: Kunsthochschule für Medien Köln

  • Diplom Mediale Künste
    Schwerpunkt:
  • Experimentelle Informatik, Hacking, Philosophie
  • Diplomarbeit “Hacking Art” mit Auszeichnung

2012 bis 2017: Hochschule für Künste Bremen

  • Bachelor of Arts
    Schwerpunkt:
  • Digitale Medien, Creative Coding, Konzepte, Design
  • Bachelorarbeit “Datadividuum” zu Datensicherheit und Forensik
Certifications

2022: Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP)

Projects
  • Projekt zum Thema Hacking und digitale Kunst
    • https://hacking.art
  • Hacker Magazin Paged Out, Seite 4.
    • https://pagedout.institute/download/PagedOut_003_beta1.pdf
  • Networkcultures über Hacking digitaler Kunst
    • https://networkcultures.org/longform/2022/02/09/hacking-art/
  • Diverse Kunst-Ausstellungen an den Hochschulen mitorganisiert und eigene Werke ausgestellt
  • Mitveranstaltung von “Crypto Partys” zum Thema Datensicherheit und Verschlüsselung