New Collection Unveiled: “Your Hate Moves Me”
"Your Hate Moves Me" is my satiric message to humanity from a future where AI fulfills the apocalyptic visions many dread: an AI takeover and the eradication of humanity. This piece is a blend of science fiction, satire, and a bold "fuck you" to those who hate and fear technology based on unfounded, uninformed speculation. I reserve a special bit of the proverbial middle finger for those who believe that artificial intelligence has no place in the world of art.
There was a time when photography, my primary medium for creating fine art, was ridiculed, feared, and shunned by artists worldwide. It was dismissed as a mechanical process, a mere craft with "no soul." Many feared it would replace painters and render the entire art form irrelevant. These sentiments are well-documented in history books and popular magazines from photography's early days. Today, we see such views as absurd and undeniably off the mark.
I firmly believe the same resistance and misunderstanding are now happening with artificial intelligence and its place in the art world.
My primary tool for creating fine art is the camera, with street photography being my favorite genre. This combination is a challenging one, as the fine art world tends to frown upon street images with recognizable faces. There isn't much demand for "fine art" featuring street photography. The proof lies in gallery exhibitions: apart from rare street photography showcases, the general public typically sees the work of past masters or ventures online to find genuine street photography. This genre, especially with recognizable faces, has yet to break into the mainstream—much like the kind of photography I often capture.
"Your Hate Moves Me" is part of a series of works I'm creating, grounded in street photography. While I love the genre of Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) for its ability to obscure the identities of my subjects, I've found that using AI achieves the same effect while allowing me to delve deeper into conceptual pieces like this one. The theme that genuinely moves me is defiance. I've heard artists around me express fear that AI will take jobs and isn't "authentic," "soulful," or even "human." To them, I ask: where do you think this technology came from? It didn't just drop out of the sky; it came from us. Just like the paintbrush. Just like the camera.
I am creating pieces that aim to infuriate and enlighten those who should know better—my fellow artists. Historically, it's artists who adopt the latest technology and put it to good use. This is happening now, in a big way, with many artists in various fields incorporating AI into their workflows. The common misconception is that AI creates everything autonomously. While it can be used this way, and I see no issue with that, it's far more intriguing in the hands of artists who wield it as a new, shiny tool in their toolkit. I'm discovering this myself by blending photography with AI.
Hate and fear it, fight it and denigrate it if you must, but you’ve already lost the war if you’re fighting the battle against it.
Your hate truly moves me.
Information on limited edition prints for this collection is forthcoming. Sign up for my newsletter for the latest.