The best way to judge art is wait a decade -- the second best way is wait a century. Both are informative but incomplete. The canon of the humanities evolves at glacial pace -- and so we dare not rush any conclusions too early. Tokenized AI art is but a baby in these timespans so all we can do is approximate what we see so far by the artists leading us forward.
Artists Who AI
AI is but a tool, at least in the 2021-2026 micro era we are speaking about today. Artists enquire with the tool, explore with the tool and accessorise with its output. In rare cases, the AI is the artist in its entirety. Some call those outputs Pure or Raw AI.
There are 35 artists who exhibit AI based work on The Line.
Indigenous Hands
Lily Illo (Line 27) explores representation and womanhood in her traditionally augmented works. The early disfigured AI hands are celebrated here and add a raised eyebrow to what otherwise could be a cubist portrait transmuted through an Australian cultural lens.
Desolate Circuitry
Then there is Dubhz0 (Line 56) who recreates the real world in a disturbingly hollow way -- through underpass and overpass and muted palettes that suggest humans left the scene some time ago. We are discovering a mid 20th century minimalism through Dubhz0 (Line 56) that is an emphatic response to an over expressionistic version of AI prompted madness.
Oxytocin Portraiture
Carlos Torres (Line 209) moves in the opposite direction, painting portraits with all the colors of the rainbow. Direct to camera, explosive color balanced with the stillness of the subject. How can something so artificial feel so real?
Liminal Architecture
Sarah C (Line 261) is an architectural photographer from New Zealand, NZIPP Commercial Photographer of the Year 2019 and one of those who minted NFTs early -- since July 2021 -- and exploring AI since 2023. She shares the architectural icons of her global travels as a Boeing pilot. Doing the long haul to get us from A to B and then exploring the cities of the world in between. Her eye for pattern recognition and structure creates something new out of the iconic, eschewing the touristic lens trap for a more elegant picture.
More recently, AI is the world Sarah C (Line 261) travels most regularly, finding structure in the liminal world of artificial buildings. Fascinating or haunting, there is an impact to the visitor.
The AI Family
Nice Aunties (Line 809) explores a generational warmth to those who lay the groundwork for the next generation. Singapore's nation building years gave rise to a phenomenon where grandparents became the primary caregivers. Nice Aunties (Line 809) riffs on that cultural touchstone by prompting contortions of both aunty and the cultural norms of the country. The sheer impossibleness of the scenes delights the viewer in its fantastical feel.
More Artists Who AI
There are of course many more artists who have looked at what AI might bring to their art practice with a sense of inspiration. Some names you will of course know like DeltaSauce (Line 476), Claire Silver (Line 494) and Mutagen Samurai (Line 551). Others like DVK the Artist (Line 498) and Glitxhmatic (Line 573) might be new to you.
Both are worth exploring on The Line.
