Specimens

Fly Little Bird Gallery, Coburg

26 April – 11 May 2024

Peering into the terrarium of “Specimens,” we encounter creature-like anthropomorphic portraits. These portraits capture potential AI entities that could be powering chatbots, drone pilots, or autonomous machines. Though cartoonish, these caricature specimens convey an underlying unease. The work blends abstract shapes, patterns, and artificial elements with loose biological forms. While playfully whimsical, the comical styling belies existential tension. Rendered in yellows and greys evoking hazard signs, repeating annular patterns and extruded geometries hint at warnings over algorithms governing the world.

Will these creature specimens remain assistants, or could they supersede their creators? By imagining the familiar and foreign, “Specimens” considers implications of ceding control to rapidly advancing computational intelligence.

Photography: Tim Gresham