ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

From Portrait to Selfie: How AI Is Rewriting the History of the Face

publication · 2026-08-26

In her recent essay for Artribune, critic Beatrice Moscatelli explores how the significance of the face in art and technology is changing, shifting from traditional portraiture to a mere data point for artificial intelligence. She critiques several important works, such as Riccardo Falcinelli's 'Visus. Storie del volto dall'antichità al selfie' (Einaudi, 2024, 552 pages, €25), Kate Crawford's 'Né intelligente né artificiale. Il lato oscuro dell'intelligenza artificiale' (Il Mulino, 2021, 320 pages, €20), Jia Tolentino's 'Trick Mirror. Riflessioni sulla società dell'illusione' (NR, 2020, 300 pages, €20), and Hans Belting's 'Facce. Una storia del volto' (Carocci, 2014, 376 pages, €37). She highlights artists like Paolo Cirio, Zach Blas, and Hito Steyerl, ultimately asserting that the face is transforming into both an image and a code, prompting reflections on the trustworthiness of images and the intrinsic value of a face beyond mere data.

Key facts

  • Riccardo Falcinelli's 'Visus. Storie del volto dall'antichità al selfie' published by Einaudi in 2024, 552 pages, €25.
  • Kate Crawford's 'Né intelligente né artificiale. Il lato oscuro dell'intelligenza artificiale' published by Il Mulino in 2021, 320 pages, €20.
  • Jia Tolentino's 'Trick Mirror. Riflessioni sulla società dell'illusione' published by NR in 2020, 300 pages, €20.
  • Hans Belting's 'Facce. Una storia del volto' published by Carocci in 2014, 376 pages, €37.
  • Paolo Cirio's project 'Capture' addresses surveillance by applying facial recognition to those in power.
  • Zach Blas's 'Facial Weaponization Suite' (2011-2014) uses collective biometric data to create masks that evade algorithmic recognition.
  • Hito Steyerl's video 'How Not to Be Seen' (2013) explores invisibility as resistance.
  • The article was written by Beatrice Moscatelli and published on Artribune in August 2026.

Entities

Artists

Institutions

  • Einaudi
  • Il Mulino
  • NR
  • Carocci
  • Artribune

Sources

Related stories