art fair
These works show how photographers are experimenting with AI as well as other digital tools.
Photo London has always showcased new developments in this medium, and this year’s visitors can expect to see something that can only be described as a sign of the times. The eighth edition, which was released to the public at Somerset House on May 11, includes several photographs partially created using AI.
For an exhibition with the Michael Hoppen Gallery, London-based Israeli photographer Oli Gerscht took low-resolution photographs of still lifes inspired by 17th-century Dutch paintings and later used AI to capture them. I experimented with this technique by upscaling my work by filling in missing details using .
“To illustrate the fusion of real and artificial, I often use the analogy of stretched stockings. The fabric is a photograph of a real event, and the hole is the missing information,” Gerst said. “The more the fabric is stretched, the larger the gaps become, and the software analyzes the photos and uses the knowledge gained to make assumptions about the missing data and fill in the gaps.”
Oli Gerst fusing time 04 (2022). Photo courtesy of Michael Hoppen Gallery, London.
The Lisbon gallery Artemis showcases the work of the Berlin pair Kennedy + Swann. In their own words, they “(abuse)” AI along with various digital tools in animation works such as: in vivo• in vitro • in silico (2023) explores the impact of xenobots, programmable nanoparticles that could one day be used to treat disease. This research raises an important question: “Is such a state-of-the-art technical solution hackable?” Or how is the data collected used? In doing so, emerging technologies are rightfully claimed to be the best medium for exploring emerging technologies.
The existence of AI-generated photographic-style paintings has been controversial from the moment it was first conceived, raising concerns about how it will affect the lives of artists. Earlier this month, artist Molly Crabapple sent an open letter to publishers encouraging them to limit the use of these types of images.
Recent memorable headlines contain creepy black-and-white images electrician (2022) was created in the style of Robert Ballen and was submitted to the 2023 Sony World Photography Awards, winning a prize of $5,000. The uproar of online dissent was also sparked by Amnesty International’s decision to illustrate a new report on police violence in Colombia with AI-generated images of demonstrators.
Kennedy + Swan, in vivo in vitro in silico. Photo courtesy of Artemis Gallery.
But Photo London organizers stressed that photographers generally use AI to enhance their work, rather than creating new images from scratch.
Even in the case of Maisie Cousins, her solo exhibition at the TJ Vaulting Gallery includes works entirely AI-generated, whose imagery complements her traditional photography. Flashily bright images can evoke distant memories and lost senses of childhood in ways that are strangely grotesque rather than nostalgic. These scenes have a universally recognizable quality (at least to British audiences) that is reminiscent of photographer Martin Parr, but notably, Cousin with her grandfather at the now-defunct Blobbie amusement park. It refers to when I traveled to Land.
“Experimentation with science and technology is an important part of the DNA of photography. We have pushed the boundaries of what is possible,” said Kamial Maleki, the fair’s new director.
“Photo London is committed to featuring an exciting mix of galleries showcasing the best of photography from the past, present and future. Contemporary artists working with AI will be included as part of a broader toolkit in which technology is used to create and fuse.”
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