Inspired by an aesthetic that combines a cabinet of curiosity and a high-tech laboratory for sci-fi cinematic works, artist Sophie Perry “Prémisse” offers a satirical vision of the embodiments of new technologies.
In this digital age, the exhibition raises a series of ethical issues stemming from popular culture fantasies regarding the promise of a better future guaranteed by technological development. Electronic medical graphics, bizarre Android organs under the glass bell and phony documentary videos gather and humorously transport us into the myths of electronic feminism. Everything is a simulation, nothing to do with the real faculties of machines, but only the fantasies that are projected onto them.
“Premise” explores the formation of the collective imagination related to scientific and electronic progress, and encourages us to recognize our own behavioral attitudes in the face of the increasingly advanced machines occupying our lives. The things Perry offers comically reveal our tendency to impart some form of intent to these machines, even if it is agency that echoes humankind. Why and how do we get to develop empathy or empathy with these forms of AI?
This projection of human values onto machines raises a series of issues that mirror those of contemporary societies. Through the synthetic video Maieutics, the artist addresses the topic of deconstructing sexuality by staging a birth by an androgynous robot.
By interacting with QR codes, visitors meet Miss Byte Me who performs a robot drag while indicating which gestures to make to activate the objects in the gallery. The smartphone use necessary for this interaction underscores the omnipresent presence of mobile technologies in our lives. A machine that imitates a human is itself an imitator. This paradoxical paradox raises an important question: How can we believe that technological progress holds the promise of a brighter future when it contributes to perpetuating social and political inequalities?
On the border between the visual, digital, and performing arts, Sophie Berry illustrates her work on creating systems that question identity and issues of power. His interdisciplinary approach invites sculpture, painting, electronics, and installation to explore the myths of human relationships and new technologies. The artist revisits representations of digital technologies in popular culture and presents them comically. Humor is an important lever, allowing him not only to embrace and explore disturbing or disgusting concepts, but also to transform and transfer them into benevolent reflective spaces.
Springboard programming. Atoll | Current Art prides itself on promoting the development and support of emerging artists. With the aim of providing artists in the process of professionalization the opportunity to develop and learn their artistic approach, the Center plans a program of Springboard exhibitions in parallel with its regular programme. The exhibition of the ‘starting point’ type responds to the need for space and networks that the community has expressed many times over.
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