Ufo art gallery kraków

artists

NEXT

Radim Koros

Curated by: 

Robert Domżalski

Photo: 

Michał Sosna

Poster by: 

Radim Koros

22.04.2022 – 28.05.2022

UFO Art Gallery

installation views

NEXT

Koros’ newest canvases are the result of a specific synergy between man and machine. The painter allows a special algorithm to remix his paintings. It is impossible to predict what the result of program interference will be. The combination of of involved elements that seems chaotic at first glance often turns out to be a big surprise for the creator himself. The result of computer manipulation does not have to be graphic, because it can be generated in a raw form, i.e. a sequence of characters. The product of artificial intelligence is the starting point for further creative work. The visualizations of the remixes are generated in the form of graphic noise, based on the rectangular field module – Koros transfers, reinterprets and translates these segments into the structure of the painting. Creativity created in this way is an ideal exemplum of viractuality, a concept by Joseph Nechvatal presented in “Immersive Ideals / Critical Distances. A Study of the Affinity Between Artistic Ideologies Based in Virtual Reality and Previous Immersive Idioms”, according to which the interpenetration of real and virtual worlds is like this strong that a person ceases to notice the difference between them. Taken from the artist’s vocabulary, NEXT is a catch that brings out in viractuality the moment where AI seems to “think” and life “glitters”.

NEXT is an affirmation of progress and creating a positive vision of the world. Koros’ canvases pulsate with internal dynamics, are full of energy and unrestrained vigor; each of them is capable of being transformed, even if it has already been exhibited. The painting “Untitled Yet”, previously presented as part of the “Enlightenment” exhibition, and at the same time being the starting point for the construction of the new exhibition, has changed so far that it was awarded the title – “Captivating Freely”. Indeed, it captivates with its bright colors and subtlety of non-obvious shapes. NEXT manifestations draw attention to oneself; it’s hard to look away from them. Koros’s painting is both a vision of the future and an archeology of ancient mythology. With “1984+” a figure deprived of will “stares” at us, and “Moloch” scares us with its incomprehensible complexity of repeating sequences of numbers among black planes. The images are emotionally balanced by “Alex”, the angel-protector of people, and “Prometheus”, the supplier of progress, the savior who fought against tyranny. Koros, portraying the suffering titan, recalled the lesson of old masters such as Titian, Peter Paul Rubens and Gustave Moreau that artistic talent is the Promethean fire. In the context of the NEXT exhibition, “Prometheus” provokes the question of whether talent remains only a human domain. Since the program can suggest solutions that a professional painter deems good enough to be transferred onto a canvas, maybe artificial intelligence can also be considered talented? Koros’ artistic practice suggests that you should trust the machine, allow it to suggest the next step. Paradoxically, technology can motivate us to become better people. After all, reality is no more. It is “viractuality”. However, also in “viractuality” random information can appear, disruption of the system, which is a manifestation of life.

Robert Domżalski

About NEXT

Artist

  • Born in the Czech Republic. Graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow (diploma in the Department of Graphic Arts in the studio of Prof. Lech Polcyn). In 2022 he received his doctoral degree from the Painting Department of his alma mater. Co-author of the UNKNOWN project at UFO Art Gallery. He lives and works in Cracow.

works

events

The abstract of the doctoral dissertation in the field of Fine Arts by Radim Koros.

NEXT

Looking for synergy between the human and the machine in the process of art creation.

The dissertation herein is the sequel to my earlier project titled Awry Continuum which I completed during my master’s programme at Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts under the supervision of Lech Polcyn, PhD, DSc. The premise for the thesis is my awareness of the misunderstanding deeply rooted in cooperation between a man and a computing device in the process of art creation as it sharply manifested itself during my work on the Awry Continuum project. The word, which serves as the title for this paper, NEXT, is a neologism, which in case of this dissertation shall have the following meaning: accidental, uncontrolled and unknown information which occurs in the electronic circuit processing data. Such information can be the potential source of free will — a conclusion which motivated me in my search for the appropriate approach to the machine. It made me especially aware of how to persevere in being a partner who is capable of conducting a dialogue from the most equal position possible to the techno-electrical “organism”. The Area of research includes all that what is considered as an unpredictable outcome of the machine.

The Introduction starts with the Aristotelean understanding of mimesis, and moves on towards the ideas of André Malraux on metaphysics in art. The attempt to illustrate evolution of the “metaphysical essence” — “the god particle” inherent within the medium itself is made with the help of history. It makes one aware of such particle existence within things of human production and discover the current existence in the viractual1 reality.

In the Paintings chapter, the story behind the man and computer cooperation and behind the paintings themselves is revealed by referring to my inspirations. The dichotomy between remediation and hyper-mediation, mentioned by Colin Roswell, presents one of key contributions here.

The chapter titled NEXT is a science-fiction contribution meant to provide better understanding of the computer’s potential to be self-aware. Here we witness certain confusion triggered by the computer’s confrontation with itself. We feel its spiritual degradation all the way to the very first unity, which alludes to the fundamental question by Descartes: What is the first for me?

Further 7 topics are examined in individual chapters of the paper. The ideas of the scientist, Raymond Kurtzweil and of the theoretician, Frank Popper as well as of artists like Roy Ascott, Stahl Stencil or Rebeka Allen are discussed. The following hypotheses and arguments are formulated on the basis thereof:

Hypotheses

– The subjective treatment of the medium in the case of artistic creative work is advisable.

– The subjective treatment of the computer is no exception as long as the computer is used as an artistic creative medium.

– Passive, albeit algorithmically valid, processing of information is a fundamental function of a computer. For this reason, information can be taken as its essence.

– An accidental error made by the creator while writing the code creates a hypothetical possibility of creating a space for “independent creative activity” of the computer.

– The “faultlessness” of the use of the artistic medium limits the creator to predictable correctness and eliminates the freedom of creation.

– Error, gibberish, without succumbing to paraphrasing, creates an appearance of mystery and can carry all appearances of the absolute, which, by its very limited nature, also eludes paraphrasing procedures.

– If the error in its elusiveness remains indistinguishable from the absolute, it cannot be said to be or denied.

Argument

The subjective treatment of the medium, understood as the opposite of the instrumental treatment, is a condition underlying all artistic creativity. Understanding the subjectivity of the medium and taking it into account, creating a space for dialogue with the medium in the creative process seems to be necessary in every artistic creation.

The practical part adopts two approaches:

– The pure painting process based on the unknown phenomenon of reality. It adopts the opposite form to the linear type of thinking, namely the spherical. This notion is well cached in the words of a renaissance man, Glen River. The need for “The Answer” is replaced by many answers appropriate to the governing dynamics of the particular perspective “Field”. When painting, I balance between abstract and figural forms, deriving from the fact of living in a space which can be located somewhere between virtual and actual reality. The painting process leans towards the viractual reality inspired paintings.

– Another approach follows the rationale behind the first one. However, some fundamental changes occur in the evolution of a particular painting when It is served to the computer which processes a transform algorithm based on random numbers. In order to make it impossible to predict any output. The result provides inspiration for further work on that canvas.

Radim Koros

Related news

pl_PLPolish