Body Anxiety in the Age of AI: Heroine (Technology Portraits)
The Technology Portraits are a visual commentary on the discussion on A.I. and art.
"Artists who worked early with the medium of photography had to fight long and hard for photography to be recognized as an artistic medium like painting. And now it all starts over again. Artists who work with A.I. have to fight for their works to be recognized as art, just like painting and photography.
Sometime after reading the open letter that called for the cancellation of the AI Art Auction at Christie’s, the History Portraits by Cindy Sherman came to mind. The works date from 1988 to 1990. While she was working on them, she lived in Rome. She chose not to view the original artworks in the churches and museums but instead worked with books. Sherman dressed up as men and women in historical paintings and photographed herself in similar poses. She exaggerated—with costumes, makeup, and poses—to make it clear that it was a conscious exaggeration in contrast to the supposed realism of the medium of photography. Additionally, she mocked the history of art and the obsession with masterpieces. Who even decides what constitutes a masterpiece? In an interview, I read the beautiful statement from Sherman: 'Well, I’m much more ignorant about Old Master paintings and art history than many people involved in the art world, so I’m not really taking it seriously.'
Sherman's photos are constructed just like identity and femininity in her images. Discussions about roles, identity, the role of the artist, the legacy of the great masters, image cultures, and representation were previously reserved for the medium of painting.
Today, there is a new movement, and that is artists who work with A.I. But not only artists can work with A.I.; authors can also do so, as it is possible to create images from text. So when the History Portraits by Cindy Sherman came to mind, I had the idea to try my hand at Technology Portraits.
We live in an age where you no longer need a camera or canvas and brushes to create images. You don't even have to leave the house or master Photoshop to translate ideas into images. So what is a masterpiece today? What are influence, interpretation, and appropriation? What is the role of the artist? What are authorship and creativity? What is individuality? What can we trust in the age of artificial intelligence?" – Anika Meier
