DELIRIUM
Acrylic on MDF and video mapping, 8x8 feet (2023)
“Délirium” focuses on the conflict between the organic and the digital, exploiting the use of artificial intelligence (AI) as a creative partner to create a traditional painting. Superimposed on the work, a video of the textures and brushstrokes modified with an illusory movement of waves and swirls, a bit like a fever dream, evokes the "techno anxiety" caused by the rapid rise of AI and technology.
The work maintains a subtle balance between abstraction and figuration; the appearance of the individual elements is recognizable, but the distortion of the subjects and their decontextualization prevent us from discerning their true nature. For example, teeth are no longer elements of the mouth, but distorted representations that pay homage to the engineering of nature, emphasizing the relevance of the biology of the animal kingdom in opposition to humanity, critiquing our propensity towards anthropocentrism.
The gore and the visceral present in this creation refer to notions of death, repugnance and disgust. This representation of the flesh and organs reveals what is generally hidden under the skin, thus breaking the mystery and exposing everything in broad daylight: nothing is hidden anymore and we are confronted with this reality.
Overall, the organic and the digital intertwine to create a provocative and disturbing dialogue on the themes of anthropocentrism, the influence of the virtual, its distortion of the real world and the impact that technology leaves on our existence.
Artificial intelligence as a creative partner
The nightmarish aesthetic of this project arises from AI-generated textures of meat and fur, which are then combined and altered manually on an image processing software to create a digital collage. This reference image was then painted in acrylic on MDF panels, in order to highlight the duality between traditional and technological techniques.
Process
The original painting was created in 3 months and required over 300 hours of work. It is painted on two sheets of 4x8 feet MDF, joined together in the middle to create a single large painting.
FIAV 2023, Casablanca Morocco
The project was presented for the 2023 edition of the Festival International d’Art Vidéo of Casablanca, Morocco. The original painting was photographed and printed at a 1:1 scale on polypropylene for easy transportability.