The new AI Art Magazine features artwork from around the world, including this image from … [+]
Art made with artificial intelligence is ubiquitous online, appearing on platforms ranging from Instagram and Reddit to websites themselves hosting generative AI tools. Now, artists have a new, somewhat ironic, medium to present their algorithm-assisted digital creations: paper.
A refined new printed publication, The AI art magazinefocuses entirely on AI and art, as the name suggests. The first issue, released on December 6, has 176 pages filled with artworks submitted in response to an international open call and selected by jurors – artists, graphic designers, technologists and a AI-generated judge named Xiaomi which looks like both a robot and an anime character. The independently funded, biannual magazine, published in Germany, costs 22 euros (about $22.95) and does not include advertising, at least not yet.
“This project is fueled by pure passion and a shared vision to chart the course for the future of AI art,” reads the magazine’s mission statement. “This is a collective effort, driven by a community that dares to imagine, innovate and inspire. »
The cover of the magazine’s first issue features the work of Japanese artist Emi Kusano, who shares … [+]
Among the jurors are Boris Eldagsen, who refused a prestigious photography prize after revealing he had generated the winning image with AI to provoke debate. In brief blurbs, judges explain why they chose to feature particular works, while essays and interviews allow creators to expand on their artistic process, what excites them about integrating AI into their work. work and their views on its strengths, weaknesses and limitations.
“This is a world-shaping technology that needs the voices of artists to engage critically and creatively, to ask where it might fail us and how it might improve our lives,” said artist Kevin Esherick in a Q&A session. “The best way to understand these technologies is to work with them. »
Esherick was only 20 years old when his older brother died, and it’s a loss he feels daily. The work featured in the magazine, a blurry, dreamlike image of her late brother, is part of her deeply personal series “I agree», who imagines a world where his brother is always there to share life’s moments.
The Brooklyn-based artist trained an AI model on photos of his brother, then disrupted the image-generating process, leaving only a murky imprint of its form. Esherick produced more than 100,000 images for the collection, then narrowed them down to 24, naming each one after a song his brother loved or would have loved. In “Especially in Michigan 2024,” seen in the magazine, it is as if a deceased family member exists behind a veil, in another realm of consciousness.
“For me, these pieces are reflections on grief and memory, absence and presence, joy and hope,” Esherick says. “They talk about possibility, what could have been and what endures.”
The magazine itself focuses on what’s possible in a time when artists are grappling with what AI means for them, their future, and their creativity in general. The inaugural issue includes 50 images in total, with the next issue planned for summer.
Essays and interviews allow a number of featured creators to elaborate on their artistic journeys. … [+]
In “Multiple Sclerosis – Ataxia” Sabine von Bassewitz attempts to visually convey the experience of a relapse marked by spasticity and movement difficulties, not to mention emotional upheaval. The work depicts an artist sitting on the floor drawing with a disembodied hand while wearing a shoe on one arm.
“I find it very difficult to describe the symptoms verbally in a way that my listeners can understand them,” the German photographer explains in the magazine. “I often have the impression that even the neurologist who treats me doesn’t understand it well, even though she knows the subject very well. Midjourney, on the other hand, seems to understand me.
“AI is a reality and will not disappear”
Over the past two years, AI has fundamentally transformed the art landscape, as widely used generative tools such as Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, and OpenAI’s Dall-E allow anyone to create images simply by entering text prompts . This rapidly evolving field has sparked heated and often controversial debate among creatives. A few adopt machine learning as a tool it can point them in weird and wonderful directions, while others are furious that their work is being stolen from the internet to train AI datasets without credit or compensation. Many also fear it will steal their livelihoods.
“I completely understand the concerns of mainstream artists,” Mike Brauner, the magazine’s publisher and co-founder, said in an email interview. “However, you must recognize that AI is a reality and it will not disappear. We are at the very beginning of something revolutionary and I can only encourage every artist to familiarize themselves with the new possibilities.
Brauner, founder of Hamburg-based creative agency Polardots Studio, co-founded the magazine alongside illustrator Christoph Grünberger, author of the book The Data Age: Embracing Algorithms in Art and Designwhich focuses on the aesthetics and creativity of a new generation of designers turning to algorithm-based tools. The duo chose to produce the magazine with open-wire binding to contrast digitally created art with traditional bookmaking, “resulting in a striking homage to the fusion of modern technology and classic art.”
While The AI art magazine is currently print-only, Brauner has revealed plans to launch a complementary online database where artists can display their work. “We received an impressive number of applications from 40 countries for our first open call,” he said, “and we really want to give them the opportunity to put themselves forward.”
“We are at the very beginning of something revolutionary,” says Mike Brauner, publisher and … [+]
