Kevin Esherick Lets AI Take Over His Art Practice for a Year
Kevin Esherick, an artist based in Los Angeles, has decided to take a year-long break from his artistic endeavors. During this time, an AI program that has been trained on his previous works will create new projects. This initiative delves into themes of authorship and the nature of artistic labor, following his exhibition titled 'The Artist Is Absent' at Heft Gallery in New York, which drew inspiration from figures such as Marina Abramović and Beeple. In this exhibition, Esherick reinterpreted 'The Artist Is Present' using an actress, thereby eliminating Abramović's direct involvement. Although he proposed sharing proceeds with fellow artists, none took him up on the offer. The AI is continuing his 'Sky World' series, reimagining global events through a late-1990s video game lens, and has also conceived new projects, including a performance for the AI Psychosis Summit. Esherick shares his insights and challenges regarding the future of art in a dialogue with Anika Meier for SLEEK.
Key facts
- Kevin Esherick has stopped making art for one year, letting an AI agent trained on his practice take over.
- The AI agent reads his daily notes, revisits earlier works, and produces more art than Esherick could alone.
- The project follows his exhibition 'The Artist Is Absent' at Heft Gallery in New York.
- The exhibition included works referencing Marina Abramović, Beeple, Petra Cortright, Salman Toor, and Trevor Paglen.
- Esherick recreated 'The Artist Is Present' with an actress wearing prosthetics, removing Abramović's physical presence.
- Beeple signed a work co-created with Esherick, but other artists did not claim authorship.
- Esherick offered artists their entire share of proceeds, but no one accepted.
- The AI agent continues his 'Sky World' series, transforming images of global events into video game aesthetics.
- The agent developed a performance for the AI Psychosis Summit involving rumors about SHL0MS's attendance.
- Esherick discusses his frustration at not making art by hand and the importance of context for the AI.
Entities
Artists
- Kevin Esherick
- Marina Abramović
- Beeple
- Petra Cortright
- Salman Toor
- Trevor Paglen
- Anicka Yi
- SHL0MS
- Quasimatt
- Morry Kolman
- Jeff Koons
- Garry Kasparov
- Donald Trump
- Luigi Mangione
- Stephen Curry
- Anika Meier
Institutions
- Heft Gallery
- SLEEK
- AI Psychosis Summit
Locations
- Los Angeles
- New York
- Chad
- Gaza
- Paris
- United States