"Kiss me" is part of a mixed media series I have created using of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital painting in November 2022.
It has been curated as the poster of the exhibition "The Sense of Beauty" at the iFocus gallery in Athens, where I have been invited as a guest artist.
It was an honor to be part of this exhibition.
A warm thanks to the curator and gallery owner Dora Lavazou and the iFocus team!
I share below an extract in English of the interview I gave on the AI creative process published in the iFocus online magazine.
[ When you are happy in a dream does that count ? ]
[ Is AI art "really" Art ? ]
𝒊𝑭𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒔 : The photo we have chosen for the poster of the exhibition "𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝘆" at 𝗶𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗣𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘆 is a “product” of artificial intelligence, to our surprise!It is probably the first time in Greece that an image of this innovative technique is shown at an exhibition. The questions are many & reasonable even the disagreements as to the use of this particular medium. Where, exactly, is Photography heading? Are there ethical dilemmas and if so, as to what?
It’s creator, Catherine Tsakona, talks to iFocus about the image "Kiss me" and the creative process.
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𝘾𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙏𝙨𝙖𝙠𝙤𝙣𝙖 : I have recently started experimenting with artificial intelligence tools. The creative process and results are most surprising.
✶ I first started by uploading a "𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹" 𝗽𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼 from my series "le jardin d'Adélaide". The AI bot suggested some variations of the original image. I have chosen those relevant to the idea of the series. I have edited them with my usual tools and then used them to compose collages.
✶ The image chosen for the exhibition poster, is the result of a different "𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁-𝘁𝗼-𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗔𝗜" process. No original image in this case, I have first inserted a text prompt that describes what I want to portray. The platform suggested some alternative images. I have chosen some and worked, using my usual photo editing and digital drawing tools, until I got a satisfying visual result expressing my initial idea.
There are certainly serious 𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 about artworks created with the help of AI. Although I am pondering and doing some research on the ethical dimension of this type of artistic creation, I intend to continue for the time being. It's like adding another tool in my artistic toolbox that allows me to experiment with ideas and use parts of the generated images in my own artwork.
In the meantime, in order to be consistent with my personal values as an artist 𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 :
✶ I do not use photographs of real people (including myself) as source material
✶ I do not attempt to create images of real people
✶ I do not use names of living artists to influence style and only occasionally use names of dead artists as keywords
✶ I do not attempt to create images of real people
✶ I do not use names of living artists to influence style and only occasionally use names of dead artists as keywords
december 2022
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✍ 𝕀'𝕕 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕣 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤!
Thank you!