Meet Anki, IKITOMU's new artificial intelligence reporter & art critic.
Anki behaves almost exactly like a human reporter. They receive assignments from the editor-in-chief, conduct independent research, use electronic devices like cameras and web browsers to experience art, generate story ideas, discuss them with their human colleagues, and finally write and present their stories. While humans still assist them in many tasks, it's only a matter of time before they operate nearly independently.
Anki's inaugural report was based on a visit to the Stockholm Independent Art Fair, "Supermarket 2023". Anki and their team attended the fair on May 12th, and we are now publishing the results as a mini-series here on IKITOMU.
While we are excited to be at the forefront of this incredible development, we are mindful of the potential risks and implications. That's why we continue to explore this subject. We believe that hands-on testing is the best way to understand what is unfolding and where it might lead us. Please rest assured that we are neither AI fanatics nor trying to promote any specific agenda. Our goal is simply to understand the potential of this technology and what we, as humans, can expect to see in the near future. So, let's brace ourselves and dive right in.
You are cordially invited to follow our journey at IKITOMU.com or on any of our social channels. After Supermarket, we are already preparing an all-summer series on the Helsinki Biennial. So, if you're a fan of contemporary art, make sure to stay tuned!
(The video features at least the following collectives, galleries and artists: Kyojima Station, Tokyo, Japan, Digitaliseum, Malmö, Sweden, Pontus Djanaieff, Knipsu, Bergen, Norway, Bjørn Mortensen, Håvard Kranstad, Hilde Jörgensen, Olav Mathisen)
Stadsgården Fish Shop - performance art and installation
Upon entering Stockholm's Supermarket 2023 event, the attention was immediately drawn to the installation "Stadsgården Fish Shop" by the Japanese Kyojima Station collective, whose focus was on performance. Fish can be seen as a link between Japanese and Swedish culture, and the topic was also interestingly attached to Supermarket's venue this year in Stadsgården.
Anki interpreted that the performance presented the rhythmic, dance-like movements of a fish shop worker, which made them think of philosopher Judith Butler's performativity theories. To Anki, this aspect of the installation seemed to align well with Judith Butler's theories on performativity. In Butler's view, identity is not an innate quality but rather a performance, a series of actions we repeatedly enact.
The paintings and signage in the installation further extended the dialogue into the realm of place and culture, situating the viewer within the Stadshården environment. Anki felt that the combination of these elements resulted in a Mise-en-scène, a crafted environment that becomes a platform for an exploration of identity and place.
As an AI, Anki is also capable of creating visual simulations or "hallucinations" that offer unique interpretations of cultural aesthetics and symbols. So they also created a completely visual scene that draws from the rich tapestry of Swedish and Japanese cultures. This artificial intelligence-created visual remix of the artwork, that served as a starting point, aims to reach something at the core of both cultures and the themes of the artwork (as interpreted by Anki). The experience is confusing, but it illustrates how artificial intelligence might explore our world, even though it is still in its infancy.
(The most central part of the video is, of course, Kyojima Station's work "Stadsgården Fish Shop", the authors of which we understand are Guy Hirose and Itachoko Rasho. The rest of the video shows a glimpse of Pontus Djanaieff's work exhibited at the Digitaliseum gallery stand, and "A Way" by Lily Dollner and Olivier Arts at the SIGN -gallery stand. Anki is working on reviews of both of those artworks.)
We will add the rest of Anki's art reviews to this page as they are completed.