Art

Inspired by my unease with the presence of technology in my daily life, I created this piece inspired by AI art. Artificial intelligence currently struggles to correctly form human bodies, blending together body parts to create often unnerving images. The uncanniness of the image reflects my own feelings of discomfort concerning AI art as an artist. This painting is based on several AI-generated images, and I sought to create a ‘parody’ of them: a piece which resembles AI art, but which is ultimately manmade. This blending together of human and artificial is intended to question at which point an artwork is deemed ‘human’. The purpose of this piece was not only to arrive at a completed work, but also to document its creation from underpainting to final product, and taking note of the time taken to complete the work. A piece that could be essentially created by an AI-generated image in 2 seconds took me over 15 hours to finish.

The works of countless artists are discoverable with only a few clicks, and it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the amount of skilled works and talented artists there are in the world. ‘Gestation Period’ is a work which tackles feelings of artistic insecurity and ‘imposter syndrome’ in art circles. The fetal imagery, the use of a secondhand blind, and the use of gesso as the primary material are intended to communicate the feeling of being ‘underdeveloped’ as an artist.

Recent developments in technology and media have undeniably changed the way most people understand themselves and their place in the world. The omnipresence of the digital realm has become a fact of modern life, particularly in wealthy countries. Because of this, I believe that we are engaging with a technological realm that is constantly changing according to the latest technology or internet trend, so that our understanding of ourselves, our desires and the things we truly want, can often feel ‘slippery’, subject to change with the next fad or development. Anxiety for the future, or a melancholic nostalgia for a past where the world felt more authentically human, is a common result of this realisation.
I am often frustrated with my reliance on technology and my struggles with disconnecting from it. These thoughts motivated the creation of this piece, I Don’t Think We Were Made For This.