AI AND TECHNOLOGY INFLUENCE ON CONTEMPORARY PAINTING
GABRIEL SCOTT, LONDON
1st may 2024 - 10th september 2024
This body of work is a playful exploration of the disparity between how machines see us and how we see ourselves. Jonathan Yeo’s ongoing experiments with creative technologies perfectly complements his portrait practice here by using a unique combination of painting techniques and imagery derived from a 3D scanner.
By deliberately exaggerating the head movements while capturing depth data on early 3D, and therefore confusing the sensor’s efforts to capture accurate data, Jonathan was able to manipulate the outcomes and create painterly abstractions. The AI algorithms within the software that aim to map facial features and colour information onto a 3d model were being stretched beyond their capability, resulting in self portraits that have a unique and energetic quality.
Since making these scans, the AI and scanning software has continued to be updated, meaning that the output is now more realistic and arguably much less interesting. These works therefore depict a “paradox of progress”, in other words a specific window in the evolution of technology where subsequent advances produce less desirable results.
The "AI and Technology Influence on Contemporary Painting" exhibition explores the impact of technology on contemporary painters, revealing how artificial intelligence AI has shaped and challenged their creative processes while sparking profound dialogues on its implications. It was curated by Virginia Damtsa, formerly of Riflemaker Gallery.
In “AI Influence on Contemporary Painting," artists Jonathan Yeo, Von Wolfe, and Henry Hudson have embraced AI and technology to redefine the essence of a new series of paintings, seamlessly integrating artificial intelligence and cutting-edge technologies into this new series.
Through these groundbreaking works, they explore and masterly navigate the complex relationship between humanity and machines, prompting a re-evaluation of art's future, probing the boundaries of AI's capacity to expand or limit artistic expression, extending to questions of identity, development, authenticity, originality, reality, and the evolving landscape of creativity in the digital age.
Jonathan Yeo's exploration of the power dynamics between humanity and technology evokes a strategic chess game, where the outcome remains uncertain. Known for his radical approach to portraiture, Yeo presents a captivating series that transcends conventional identity. By employing 3D scanning technology and algorithms to reimagine self-portraiture, Yeo's canvases blur the boundaries between the tangible and the virtual. This invites viewers to question the authenticity of representation in our technologically driven world.
