Gallery’s Next Exhibition Pits Man Against AI

Griffith Regional Art Gallery’s next exhibition combines art with technology with artist Dr Tony Curran’s What a Machine.

Curran has adopted the creative workflow of artificial intelligence algorithms to make a body of work that feels simultaneously machine-made and soulful.

“The interplay between painting and digital media has been an enduring focus for me, as technology continues to assist artists to innovate and expand creative potential, while at the same time threatening to replace the creative act,” Curran said.

“I currently build my work with a Graphical User Interface (GUI) creating abstract inspiration.

“In What a Machine, I have used the algorithmic structure of artificial intelligence to plan an iterative process of painting that is systematic, but geared towards a series of works that feel distinctly human.”

Art Gallery Coordinator, Ray Wholohan said in this exhibition, the computer was not left to make creative decisions, but the algorithm provided a decision-making structure, inviting the artist to generate, discriminate, mutate, and to populate.

“As artificial intelligence continues to advance, Curran maintains that machines will never replace human creativity,” Wholohan said.

“However, AI algorithms provide valuable creative structures for an artist to wield in the studio, helping overcome creative block, identifying quality, planning next steps, and distilling artistic voice.

“This exhibition is a must-see for people interested in contemporary Australian art, abstract painting, digital creativity, artificial intelligence and computed aided design.”

Dr Tony Curran is a Lecturer of Fine Art at the University of Tasmania and is a visual artist whose paintings, drawings, and digital media combine painterly approaches and web 2.0 aesthetics through GUI abstraction.

The ‘digital wiggle’ is an enduring motif in Curran’s current work and pivots around mobile devices as a pressure point of visual culture.

His attention to colour, combined with the ‘digital wiggle’ provides an improvisational foil for systems-based, process-oriented art making.

What a Machine opens Friday, May 12 at 6 pm with the artist in attendance.

Everyone is welcome to attend this free event.

Curran will also hold a floor talk at 11 am on Saturday, May 13 to give context and insight to this exhibition.

Light refreshments will be provided. C ontact Griffith Regional Art Gallery for more information.

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