ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Trevor Paglen's Dual Exhibitions Explore Machine Vision, AI, and Pandemic-Era Perception

exhibition · 2026-04-20

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Trevor Paglen unveils two exhibitions focused on machine vision and artificial intelligence. At Pace Gallery in London, "Bloom" runs from 10 September to 10 November 2020, showcasing AI-analyzed floral images, including "The Model (Personality)" (2020) and "The Standard Head" (2020). Additionally, "Octopus" (2020) offers a hybrid environment featuring 20 streaming cameras for online audiences. Meanwhile, "Opposing Geometries" is on display at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh from 4 September to 14 March, highlighting portraits generated by facial recognition algorithms, such as those of Simone de Beauvoir in "Even the Dead Are Not Safe" (2017). Paglen examines heightened sensory experiences during lockdowns and critiques the intersection of technology and politics.

Key facts

  • Trevor Paglen has two concurrent exhibitions: Bloom at Pace Gallery, London (10 September - 10 November 2020) and Opposing Geometries at Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh (4 September - 14 March)
  • Bloom features works using AI systems for 'deep saliency' analysis of floral imagery, connecting to vanitas painting traditions
  • The Standard Head (2020) sculpture is based on 1960s facial recognition research by Woody Bledsoe funded by the CIA
  • Octopus (2020) creates a hybrid exhibition with 20 streaming cameras connecting physical and online viewers in real-time
  • Opposing Geometries includes portraits of Simone de Beauvoir, Frantz Fanon, and Samuel Beckett created through facial recognition algorithms
  • Paglen discusses how COVID-19 lockdowns in New York during April-May 2020 changed his artistic process and perception of everyday objects
  • The artist examines how AI systems from companies like IBM and Facebook create standardized abstractions of human features and personalities
  • Paglen's work connects historical practices like phrenology to contemporary computer vision technologies used in marketing and law enforcement

Entities

Artists

  • Trevor Paglen
  • Simone de Beauvoir
  • Frantz Fanon
  • Samuel Beckett
  • Woody Bledsoe
  • Stephanie Dick

Institutions

  • Pace Gallery
  • Carnegie Museum of Art
  • ArtReview
  • Kronos Quartet
  • Facebook
  • IBM
  • CIA

Locations

  • London
  • United Kingdom
  • Pittsburgh
  • United States
  • New York

Sources