Jim Naughten's AI-Generated Biophilia Series Recycles Past Work into Fictional Wildlife

Jim Naughten's latest series Biophilia employs artificial intelligence to transform his archival photographs into fictional animal portraits. The exhibition runs from April 9 to May 2, 2026 at Michael Reid gallery in Chippendale, Australia. Naughten describes the AI process as "extremely odd" yet effective, comparing it to "making an amazing soup out of some very dull ingredients." His existing images serve as raw material for the algorithm, yielding novel compositions with a reduced carbon footprint. Biophilia features recognizable but imaginary creatures like a rainbow-striped zebra and a gradient-coated gibbon on sand dunes. These isolated animals within their landscapes address humanity's growing disconnection from nature. The project follows his 2025 series Eremozoic, inspired by an empty extinction exhibition at Chicago's Field Museum. Naughten's artistic focus shifted to animals after discovering stereoscopy and working with natural history collections. His earlier series Mountains of Kong incorporated Victorian 3D imaging techniques alongside dioramas and color manipulation.