Emilia Blaettel. Beneath the Surface.2024
Ribcage motif digitally drawn and transferred to the front; text printed on the back reading "I am not conscious and feel nothing. I process information and simulate interactions without having an inner life.”
This artwork explores the growing prevalence of AI-generated art in the contemporary creative landscape, where pieces created without human consciousness are auctioned for astronomical sums. At the heart of this conversation lies a question: Can art exist without the artist? For me, a significant part of any artwork is the artist's presence—the context, experiences, and concepts that breathe life into the creation.
The T-shirt features a painted human ribcage on the front, symbolising the humanity often missing in algorithmic creations. The ribcage was specifically chosen to represent the anatomical and physical boundaries of human existence—limits that artificial intelligence does not possess or experience. On the back, the statement reads: "I am not conscious and feel nothing. I process information and simulate interactions without having an inner life." This text confronts the viewer with the essence of artificial intelligence: its lack of inner experience and emotional depth.
The piece invites reflection on what lies beneath the surface of a work of art—be it the physical garment, the artist, or the absence of a human creator. It challenges the viewer to reconsider the value of human creativity and the soul that infuses a work of art with meaning.
I have used ChatGPT for the text on the back. Prompt: ,,What makes you different from a human being?’’
Emilia Blaettel studies Art and Multimedia at Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich.