Jo Phillips Explores Translation and Identity in 'Translation Without Original'

Jo Phillips's series 'Translation Without Original' is featured in creAtIva AI Art Book Vol/9, curated by Wiktor V/R. The work uses AI technology to examine how images, narratives, and identities transform when transferred between systems, arguing that translation is not a faithful transfer but an interpretive reconstruction that inevitably loses something. Phillips's figures are constructed from fragments of information—displaced profiles, partial limbs, annotations—creating bodies that are familiar yet incomplete, suggesting multiple interpretations rather than a single identity. The series incorporates elements of measurement and classification reminiscent of institutional and digital systems, highlighting how attempts to organize information often fragment it further. The review draws parallels with Rosa Menkman's glitch art and Gaspar Noé's film 'Enter the Void,' noting shared sensibilities in exploring perception and the physical experience of images. Phillips's work is noted for its precise composition, avoiding mere digital effects. The series reflects on a culture defined by circulation rather than continuity, where loss is not an accident but an inherent condition of transmission. The artist's original text and video in augmented reality are included in Vol/9, available for order. The review was written by Wiktor V/R, founder and director of creAtIva AI Art Book, and published on Plataforma de Arte Contemporáneo on September 4, 2026.