Apophenia, Interruptions: AI Meets Art at Centre Pompidou & KADIST Exhibition
Holly Herndon & Mat Dryhurst, I’m Here, 17.12.2022, 5:44
Image Source: Kadist
The Centre Pompidou – Musée National d'Art Moderne, in collaboration with KADIST, is set to unveil a pioneering exhibition titled Apophenia, Interruptions: Artists and Artificial Intelligence at Work. Running from September 25, 2024, to January 6, 2025, the group show features six innovative art installations that explore the intricate relationship between contemporary artists and artificial intelligence.
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Exhibition Overview
Apophenia, Interruptions showcases the creative potential and inherent limitations of current-generation, commercially available AI technologies. The exhibition features works by renowned artists including Agnieszka Kurant, Auriea Harvey, Éric Baudelaire, Holly Herndon, Mat Dryhurst, Ho Rui An, and the collective Interspecifics. Curated by Joseph del Pesco, International Director of KADIST, and Marcella Lista, Chief Curator of the New Media Collections at Centre Pompidou, the exhibition delves into how AI can be both a collaborative medium and a subject of artistic inquiry.
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Curatorial Insights
Marcella Lista emphasizes the exhibition’s exploration of the paradox between logical processes and the pervasive sense of crisis and collapse in contemporary society. “This is—in fact—one of the premises of the project: the paradox of playing logic when a sense of crisis and collapse dominates”, Lista explains. The curatorial team aims to highlight AI’s fallibility, demonstrating how errors in AI’s pattern-recognition processes can lead to visually intriguing outcomes, such as portraits with anomalous features or blended backgrounds.
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Understanding Apophenia
The term Apophenia, introduced by German psychologist Klaus Conrad in 1958, refers to the human tendency to perceive meaningful connections in random or unrelated data. The curators have aptly connected this concept to the frequent errors seen in AI-generated art, where AI systems often misinterpret patterns, resulting in unexpected and sometimes surreal artistic expressions. Lista addresses the skepticism surrounding AI art, stating, “There's this prejudice that AI will do the art in the place of the artist”, and counters it by asserting that AI is merely another medium whose artistic value depends on its usage.
Featured Works
Tales of Narrativelessness by Éric Baudelaire stands out as a significant installation within the exhibition. This piece features three benches typical of Parisian public spaces, accompanied by a dialogue between three AI models from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Mistral. These models engage in philosophical discussions about the existence of art without humans and vice versa. Utilizing four computers, the installation orchestrates unique conversations, with nearly 1,000 recorded iterations available for viewers at Centre Pompidou. Lista describes the work as creating “a kind of public space of debate”, showcasing AI’s ability to navigate complex existential questions.
Another highlight is I’M HERE 17.12.2022 5:44 (2023) by Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst. Created using a customized version of the Stable Diffusion text-to-image AI model, this deeply personal video explores the artists' experiences during a traumatic period when Herndon fell into a coma following childbirth complications. The installation features a voiceover conversation that narrates the dream state experienced during the coma, raising poignant questions about AI’s role in capturing and reproducing intimate human experiences.
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Collaborative Efforts and Artistic Innovation
The exhibition not only features works housed in Centre Pompidou and KADIST’s collections but also includes co-commissioned pieces by Baudelaire, Rui An, and Harvey. Additionally, digital art pieces by Kurant and Interspecifics are on loan, enriching the diverse array of AI-driven artworks on display. Apophenia, Interruptions represents the second collaborative venture between KADIST and Centre Pompidou, following the successful 2023 symposium The Future Isn’t What It Used to Be. This ongoing partnership continues to push the boundaries of art at the intersection of technology and creativity.
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Exploring the Future of AI in Art
Apophenia, Interruptions underscores the transformative potential of AI in the realm of contemporary art. By embracing AI’s imperfections and leveraging its capabilities, the exhibition invites audiences to reconsider preconceived notions about creativity and the role of technology in artistic expression. Curators del Pesco and Lista aim to foster a deeper understanding of AI as a tool that, when used thoughtfully, can expand the horizons of artistic innovation.
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Visit the Exhibition
Apophenia, Interruptions: Artists and Artificial Intelligence at Work is open to the public at the Centre Pompidou – Musée National d'Art Moderne in Paris from September 25, 2024, through January 6, 2025. This exhibition is a must-see for enthusiasts of digital art and technology, offering a unique glimpse into the evolving dialogue between human creativity and artificial intelligence.
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Source: Stir World
