If AI delivers the best image
There is hardly any topic at the moment that stirs emotions more and dominates the headlines of (social) media: artificial intelligence, or AI for short. Its fields of application are very diverse: some people have their email correspondence written with artificial assistance; others create their presentations this way or have code written for them. By now, AI has also made its way into the art world. So much for the facts. What surprised me, however, is that AI-generated images can, in the meantime, become the main attraction of an entire exhibition. At least, that’s what happened at the opening (vernissage) of the Artists’ Guild Harz at the adult education center (VHS) in Goslar.
It immediately catches the eye
Thursday evening, the forum is well attended; the VHS Goslar has invited guests to the vernissage. “Hidden Horizons. Encounter with Reality” is the title of the exhibition. While the connection to the title does not become clear to me—even during the introductory remarks by the hosts—my gaze is already drawn to a picture that somehow fascinates me. It is the work “Museum of Time” by Sidney Gromnica. I’m not sure whether it’s the subject of the image, its multidimensionality, or the color scheme that captures my attention.
Art meets AI
After the formalities and the musical accompaniment, two things begin: on the one hand, the “rush” for drinks and the provided snacks; on the other, the tour through the exhibited artworks starts. At first, neither the “hidden horizons” nor the “encounter with reality” becomes apparent to us—we cannot really identify these themes in the works. Nevertheless, and I think this is often the case, visitors quickly decide which motifs appeal to them and which do not. That was certainly true for us. For example, the works of Qasim al-Sharqi appeal to me because of their colors. I also find the drawn insects, such as a dragonfly or stag beetle and the like, artistically very appealing. In the end, however, we spend more time in front of the exhibit called “Museum of Time.” We soon notice that we are not the only ones giving this picture more and longer attention. When I learn that it is an AI-generated work, I am quite astonished. In other words, the secret “star” of the evening is a piece of art created by artificial intelligence! So-called AI art, as I find out, refers to the entirety of artworks that were created with the help of artificial intelligence or influenced by it. But: is this still art in the true sense? An article on Deutschlandfunk Kultur, at any rate, sees no contradiction in this. Well, when the Goethe-Institut headlines, “Making the Invisible Visible: Art Meets AI,” then “Museum of Time” would at least be exactly the motif that best corresponds to the title “Hidden Horizons and Encounter with Reality.”
