The exhibition invites you to reflect on the relationship between the works of art in a collection and a museum
Everyone is talking about it, often off-handedly: artificial intelligence as the saviour of humanity or its doom, hiding complex statistical patterns behind the mask of the Terminator in its apocalyptic version, or some guru (Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, etc.) in its mythicized version. After all it is no surprise.Mathematical formulas that look like hieroglyphics, the general public’s lack of preparedness (and almost always of those who are responsible for explaining), having to read numerous lines of code, spontaneously generating narratives that tap into a mythical substratum of our collective consciousness. Humans have always devised gods, or creatures such as golems, possessing absolute knowledge or learning abilities so powerful as to surpass human intelligence.
VERY EFFECTIVE AND BEAUTIFUL INSTALLATIONS WITH BRIGHT COLOURS AND ABSTRACT COMPOSITIONS
The word for the title of Refik Anadol’s new solo exhibition at the MoMA, Unsupervised, refers to all the evidence in regard to the great division between models of learning. In supervised models, based on one or more variables, you know which variable to predict (for example, knowing the surface area, number of rooms, and location of something, one can predict the price).Unsupervised models,on the other hand, explore relationships based on data without focusing on particular variables. And relationships, networks, beyond of course the possibility of their aesthetic rendering, are the focus of Anadol’s research. Since the beginning of his journey, the Turkish artist has been working with artificial intelligence models to create sculptures, paintings and installations capable of translating complex amounts of data into an immersive, iridescent experience as the flow of information changes.
IF ONE CONSIDERS INTELLIGENCE AS A SMALL LIGHT IN THE ENDLESS EXPANSE OF STUPIDITY,
ONE MIGHT WELL WONDER IF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS LIMITED
Unsupervised works with public data about MoMA’s art collection, inspiring a reflection on the relationships between artworks within a collection and, in particular, a museum. As always, the paintings and installations produced are impressive, beautiful, with vibrant colors and abstract compositions that when observed more closely show the complexity of underlying networks.If one considers intelligence as a small light in the endless expanse of stupidity, one might well wonder if artificial intelligence is limited. In other words, can there be intelligence without its opposite? Similarly, can a statistical model produce only pleasant representations such as Anadol’s?
Do the networks and relationships explored really not conceive of the possibility of torn relationships, and disruptions with unpleasant and even horrifying effects to the human eye?
