"I posted an image of a Monet Water Lilies painting, said I generated it using AI, and asked the audience to explain why it was inferior to a "real" Monet. Thousands of people did, which then spawned a fairly dense series of recursively unfurling layers of discourse. I consider the entire saga to be a part of my pseudonymous social media-based performance art practice. It went extremely viral. I'm not really sure how to describe the scale."
"By presenting a real Monet as AI-generated, SHL0MS turns the audience's own assumptions into the artwork. The provocation exposes shifting perceptions of AI, authenticity, and aesthetic judgment, from questioning whether image models can produce convincing images at all to debating whether they possess something more elusive: soul, intention, or authorship."
"The work is also a reflection of the current AI zeitgeist. By presenting a real Monet as AI-generated, SHL0MS turns the audience's own assumptions into the artwork. The provocation exposes shifting perceptions of AI, authenticity, and aesthetic judgment, from questioning whether image models can produce convincing images at all to debating whether they possess something more elusive: soul, intention, or authorship."
"Inferior Image, conceptual art, virality, anonymity, misinformation, and why the internet itself should be understood as an artistic medium rather than merely a distribution channel. Together they discuss performance art after social media, online identity, NFTs, and what it means to make art in an era shaped by algorithms and artificial intelligence."
A Monet Water Lilies image was posted with a claim that it was AI-generated, prompting viewers to explain why it was inferior to a real Monet. Thousands responded, producing layered online debate about brushstrokes, composition, and aesthetics. The provocation reframed the audience’s assumptions as part of the artwork by presenting an actual painting as synthetic. The work reflects current AI-era concerns about whether image models can convincingly reproduce art and whether they possess qualities like soul, intention, or authorship. It also treats the internet as an artistic medium, focusing on virality, anonymity, misinformation, and how algorithmic environments shape art-making and online identity.
#ai-generated-imagery #conceptual-art #authenticity-and-authorship #internet-virality #performance-art
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