SYMBIOSIS: Art in the Age of AI

Alexandra Dementieva, Anna Frants, Peter Friess, Aernoudt Jacobs, William Latham, Lev Manovich, and Koen Theys

January 23 - March 29, 2025

The Sylvia Wald and Po Kim Gallery is pleased to present the group show, SYMBIOSIS: Art in the Age of AI, on display at the SWPK Gallery from January 23 to March 29,2025. The exhibition features installations from seven artist, Alexandra Dementieva, Anna Frants, Peter Friess, Aernoudt Jacobs, William Latham, Lev Manovich, and Koen Theys. An opening reception with the artists will take place at 6 PM on Thursday, January 23, 2025.

About the Exhibition

The exhibition explores the complex and evolving relations between human creativity and artificial intelligence. It showcases a diverse set of works by contemporary artists who leverage AI as a collaborator in their artistic processes.

“Symbiosis: Art in the Age of AI” is a platform for dialogue and exploration. Through this show, we aim to develop a deeper understanding of the symbiotic relationship between humans and machines, and demonstrate the wide range of possibilities for using AI in art. As opposed to only focusing on the currently popular type of AI technology (i.e., “generative AI”), we want to present a more broad conceptual and aesthetic landscape of AI arts.

The included artworks show diverse and unique manifestations of the symbiotic relationship between artificial and human intelligence. Every piece represents the combination of artificial intelligence’s computer power and sophisticated algorithmic thinking with human intuition, emotions, and concepts.

Artists are able to create new forms, explore new aesthetic possibilities, and push the boundaries of their work by utilizing various forms of AI. The included artworks employ a variety of AI techniques and instruments, such as natural language processing, machine learning algorithms, and generative adversarial networks (GANs). The resulting works demonstrate the great potential of AI to enhance human creativity, and they are as diverse as the tools that produced them.

Artificial intelligence traditionally aimed to replicate human cognitive abilities like vision, language comprehension, and problem-solving. Today, however, AI has expanded into simulating human aesthetic capabilities. Currently, millions of people use AI tools to create fiction, compose music, and generate simulated photographs and artworks in diverse styles. This radical technological shift in the realm of human aesthetics prompts many intriguing questions, compelling us to reassess our long-held assumptions and beliefs.

While AI implies technological simulation of human intelligence, its use by artists challenges this notion. Historically, art has been discussed using concepts like skill, imitation, mimesis, and taste, rather than “intelligence.” The emergence of AI in artistic creation prompts us to consider the concept of “artistic intelligence” and its potential meanings, with the artworks in this exhibition offering various perspectives on these questions.

Artists

Alexandra Dementieva

Anna Frants

Koen Theys

Aernoudt Jacobs

Peter Friess

Lev Manovich

William Latham