Overview
Beyond Human
22/3/2024 – 22/6/2024
The exhibition “Beyond Human” at the Artemis Gallery Lisbon shows works by six artists: Cezar Mocan (*1993, Romania), Damjanski (artist living in a browser), João Biscainho (*1979, Portugal), Martina Menegon (*1988, Italy), Valerie Messini (*1986, Italy) and Yoshi Sodeoka (*Japan).
The exhibition aims to explore the dynamic relationship between art and technology within the constantly and rapidly changing landscape of the digital age. All six artists work at the intersection of art and technology, incorporating AI into their art-making in a variety of different ways. They show an interesting selection of the diversity and variance of this artistic approach. They touch on very fundamental topics such as the concept of art – “What is art?”, authorship – co-authorship between man and machine or art as a field of social debate. Questions are raised that pose the already established, well-known and tested approaches to contemporary art production. However, these will then be expanded with regard to the use of new media or AI in artistic practice and the specific themes and questions that arise from this. In addition, a new form of seeing and understanding in the art context, but also beyond it, is made possible and trained.
From programmer and artist Cezar Mocans and his thought-provoking narratives generated with the help of AI, to Damjanski’s more radical approaches, starting with the fact that he is an artist living in a browser and his innovative apps that are works of art from which, in some cases, the human is completely removed. Martina Menegon’s sophisticated fusion of physical and virtual elements places our bodies and conception of the body in the digital age at the centre, while Valerie Messini explores virtual reality and questions the boundary or demarcation between human and machine artistic creation. Finally, Yoshi Sodeoka’s mesmerising, neo-psychedelic images, influenced by music and digital media, offer a sensual, emotional journey through digital worlds.
Curated by Manuel S.Mendonça
Essay by Kirsten Eggers