2023
DISTORTIONS

About the exhibition

DISTORTIONS is not a singular, all encompassing statement exhibition, but rather a collection of compelling works by artists we collaborate with. Thought provoking, often prescient, and relevant to this moment of technologically assisted creative processes, the artworks in the show represent various approaches to the complexities of contemporary world. Traditionally, artists have altered reality to reveal their own 'truths'. Art, as a mirror of the world, has always operated via distortion both literally and metaphorically. With the nonstop development of analog and digital tools in the 20th century, access to new technologies became more democratized. Yet it is always the artists that are on the forefront to adapt the new tools, subvert them, push boundaries, expose biases and limitations of the medium and explore its creative potential.

Over the last three decades, the emergence of the internet, global sharing, social media technologies, dissemination, consumption, new channels of commerce as well as data science, have introduced fundamentally new dynamics to the cultural ecosystem. Internet and social media platforms have become integral parts of our lives. While they were initially intended to provide a refined sense of reality, dialogue and community, now they often manipulate and distort our perception of the world.

Through a range of thought-provoking artworks, "Distortions" explores the consequences of living in an era where the line between the genuine and the fabricated is continuously blurred. The exhibition aims to spark conversations about the complex relationship between technology, social media, and the way we experience and share our lives in the digital age. It invites viewers to contemplate the implications of the world where reality is not just distorted but curated, filtered by algorithms and carefully crafted to complement each persons personal 'truths'.

Despite the general tendency to always view one's own time as extraordinary and profound, it's undeniable that we are living in a moment of exceptional changes and progress, not always for the better. Artificial Intelligence (AI) can now process and manipulate complexities beyond our comprehension in real time and effortlessly emulate creative processes.

While we may think we are using AI tools to create, we have, in fact, been "training" AI for years. We are confronted with algorithmic biases, stealing art from artists, copyright issues and of course a larger threat of replacing people's jobs..... Still, at this time using AI and other emerging technologies may result in phenomenal art. Let's hold on to our illusions for as long as we can and enjoy the works in the exhibition as fantastic examples of human creativity. Distortions at its best.

 

PRESS 11 AM – 2 PM TUESDAY DECEMBER 5
PREVIEW 6 PM TUESDAY DECEMBER 5
OPENING 6 PM FRIDAY DECEMBER 8

 

Featuring ALBERT-LASZLO BARABASI
CANYON CASTATOR
ZACH GAGE
CATE GIORDANO
MARTA KUCSORA
GRACELEE LAWRENCE
LOVID
RYDER RIPPS
SALLY SMART
FRANK WANG

Exhibited works

IMAGES

–  "A Tapestry of Untruth 1:1330", acrylic on canvas 90 x 120 cm
–  "A Tapestry of Untruth 1:1330", acrylic on canvas 90 x 120 cm