On November 28, Jane Otieno from Maseno University, Kenya, the curator, opened the exhibition in Nairobi and the virtual exhibition online. Both exhibitions show the students' work on the topic of AI and Visual Cultures after EVC's call for participation early in 2024 (Link). The following universities were involved:
- Technical University Kenya
- Maseno University, Kenya
- Libre Académie des Beaux-Arts, Douala, Cameroon
- University of Education Winneba, Ghana
- University of Pretoria, South Africa
- Durban University of Technology, South Africa
- Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany
- University of Passau, Germany
Visit the virtual version of the exhibition: Link
The exhibition examined the intersection of AI and visual culture, exploring how technology redefines art-making, perception, and engagement by the blending of human and machine creativity. It explored the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on contemporary visual culture, addressing pressing issues such as technology's role in shaping creativity and the intersection of innovation with sustainability. The exhibition positions AI not just as a tool, but as a pivotal agent in reimagining the boundaries of art, perception, and cultural production. It reflects artists’ resiliency to adapt, embrace and collaborate.
On the other hand, a significant shift impacts the art world. Although AI has unveiled unique and diverse possibilities as witnessed in the diverse projects showcased in the exhibition, machine produced art is lacking the human touch and soul. An area like painting is essentially lots of small marks making up a greater whole. An artist can learn and train to use the moment encountered between brush, paint and canvass to find a new way of looking, seeing and interpreting. He finds a different, new or better way to produce an effect, a technique or a style. Can AI –generated art truly capture the raw emotion and passion that human artists infuse into their works?
Jane Otieno
