Located in the basement level of Magenta Plains Gallery, Rexy Tseng’s Mouthful of Dirty Copper creates a foggy atmosphere that mirrors the muted palette and the almost apocalyptic feeling evoked by his paintings. Tseng’s work directly engages with the surge in AI-generated imagery, and in turn the growing value of traditional painting as a medium.
Tseng’s paintings capture images of landscapes, in the aftermath of destruction, from an aerial view. Using rough color blocking, alongside areas of high detail, he creates a tension between chaos and order. His work echoes the abstract and sporadic feeling that is common within AI renderings, utilizing multiple perspectives that morph into each other, reproducing a similar feeling of disorientation that often comes with generated imagery. His painting titled Open Wound captures scenes of destruction in a more literal sense, obviously depicting an abandoned pileup of semi-trucks. Whereas, Wet Walls is slightly more ambiguous, and in line with AI-generated imagery, forcing the viewer to interpret the scene and engage with the uncertainty often present in AI-generated images
Tseng’s work resonates strongly in the context of increasing natural disasters and the growing sense of unease as we witness events similar to those he has depicted unfold in real time, reflecting the fragility of our environment and the unsettling consequences of our technological advancements and human actions.
-Harper Burt
At this show, I had a hard time rationalizing the excessive references to AI artwork, as “AI” feels like a hot buzzword that whoever wrote the press release did not explain thoroughly, so it would be helpful if you were able to elaborate on how you interpret these references to AI art. The concept of disorientation is a good starting point. I would also like to see more about the foggy atmosphere and muted tones, as that feeling was so strong in person. Maybe that could be related to the overall concepts of AI, disorientation, and devastation. I like the way that the last paragraph addresses some of these ideas!
ReplyDeleteResponding to the AI references and the other comment made questioning the explanation, I can see how the artwork is pulling from the world of AI art. I wonder if you agree that seeing something so familiar yet unsettling as it is slightly wrong, as often is the reaction to AI art, is captured in these painting successfully. I agree that seeing events such as these depicted almost as fantasy but knowing that they have happened and will continue to happen is uneasy but powerful.
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