ART WITHOUT ARTISTS - ANONYMOUS CREATIVITY
In the First Surrealist Manifesto, André Breton declared: “We are modest recording instruments (…). We do not have any talent.” This proposition is echoed in contemporary generative technologies such as GPT. The question lingers: who is the invisible creator of these creations? The answer is as simple as it is complex: no one.
The new generative tools are undeniably creative, or at least productive, but at the same time, there is no one behind them. This poses a challenging dilemma for aesthetics. Just like in surrealism, we find ourselves faced with a hypothetical ‘collective unconscious’, inviting us to reconsider the traditional role of the artist.
In this 9th edition of our annual research festival ARTICULATE, we look back on 100 years of surrealism and forward to a future shaped by artificial intelligence, exploring the fascinating possibilities of anonymous creativity and the concept of art without artists.
PROGRAMME at the ACADEMY
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OPENING ARTICULATE |
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| Thu 17 Oct | |
| 18:00 - 18:30 | Performance ‘AI Musicking’ |
| 18:30 - 23:00 | Opening exhibitions with drinks and food |
| 19:00 - 23:00 | Ongoing interactive performances in ‘The Grid’ |
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EXHIBITIONS |
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| Reproducibility | |
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17 – 27 Oct |
This exhibition examines the current profound transition from digital tools to artificial intelligence models in technologically mediated artistic production. Through a multisensory assemblage that embodies an educational presentation model, the exhibition groups together seminal positions from the preceding two decades, purposefully emphasizing the present moment. |
| Moving the Photogram | |
| 17 – 27 Oct Mon – Sun 12:00 – 18:00 |
Based on the work of nine young artists linked with the Thinking Tools research group, the exhibition presents a diversity of contemporary practices that uses one of the oldest photographic techniques: the photogram. With works by Sine Van Menxel, Sophie Thun, Jeff Weber, Marta Djourina, Dries Segers, Francesco Del Conte, Marianne Vierø, Sascha Herrmann and Berit Schneidereit. |
| Subversive Pages. A Surrealist’s Library | |
| 17 – 27 Oct Mon – Sun 12:00 – 18:00 |
This exhibition presents a selection of Surrealist printed matter from 1924 onward. The publication strategies of the Surrealists reveal a wolf in sheep’s clothing: books and magazines are not passive carriers of meaning but active objects. |
| The Grid | |
| 17 – 27 Oct Mon – Sun 12:00 – 18:00 |
Through a mapping projection on the ceiling of the Venushal, with its grid as the basic canvas and catalyst, an interactive collective installation emerges. This dynamic framework functions as an engaging medium for real-time audience participation. The installation embodies the discourse on the role of the creator in the post-digital era. |
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RESEARCH CLASSES |
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| 21 – 25 Oct Mon – Fri 10:00 – 18:00 |
The five-day experimental, in-depth, and interdisciplinary research classes for master students of the Academy are this year led by artist-researchers Mirja Bush, Kristí Fekete, Eva-Fiore Kovacovsky, Spiros Hadjidjanos, Francesco Del Conte, Ilaria Lupo, Charlotte Koopman and Phil Baber. |
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PUBLIC PROGRAMME |
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| Symposium ‘Techno/Seen: on the technological apparatus and its images’ | |
| Thu 17 Oct 10:00 - 17:00 |
From the moment the first technological apparatus was introduced, a revolutionary new kind of image emerged. From photography to recent AI-applications, this symposium aims to give a broad overview of how these technological images are currently being used in the visual arts. Confirmed speakers are: Franziska Kunze, Michael Reisch, Spiros Hadjidjanos, Emmanuel Van Der Auwera, Susan Morris and Mona Hedayati. |
| Artist talk 'An exploration of generative photographic strategies' by Dries Segers | |
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Tue 22 Oct |
- 19:00: guided tour in the exhibition 'Moving the Photogram' by curator Steven Humblet |
| Lecture ‘Object, Dream, Thought: Marcel Broodthaers, Pense-Bête and Surrealism’ | |
| Wed 23 Oct 19:00 - 20:30 |
In this lecture in collaboration with S.M.A.K., John C. Welchman explores the relationship between Marcel Broodthaers' early work, ‘Pense-Bête’, and the Surrealist practice of the Poème Objet. He examines Broodthaers' broader connections to Surrealism and how his work uniquely visualizes thought. |
| Panel discussion ‘Subversive Surrealism’ | |
| Wed 23 Oct 20:30 - 21:30 |
Join us for a panel discussion on the contemporary relevance of Surrealism, 100 years after the First Surrealist Manifesto, as artists and theorists explore and discuss the topicality of Surrealist concepts and methods. Do they still make sense, and if so, how to deal with them? |
| Panel discussion ‘Art without Artists’ | |
| Thu 24 Oct 19:00 - 21:00 |
In this debate, young artists will explore the creator's role, drawing inspiration from Breton's Surrealist Manifesto and the concept of "art without artists," while also examining AI's impact on authorship and the possibilities and challenges of anonymous creativity. The new generative tools are undeniably creative, or at least productive, yet they lack a human presence behind them, posing a challenging dilemma for aesthetics. |
| Presentations 'Research Classes' | |
| Fri 25 Oct 13:00 - 15:00 |
During an informal get-together, the master students from each research class have the opportunity to present their experiences and reflections, and to make their process visible. |