The myth of the sorcerer’s apprentice has an ancient origin that is difficult to establish. Several hypotheses place it in Egypt, India and other regions. The truth is that Goethe formulated it in a narrative poem, which inspired a musical adaptation that, at the time, generated an episode of the film FantasÃa, produced by Disney.
A magic trick is used by the protagonist of this story – in that version it is Mickey Mouse – to save himself work, but the invention gets out of control and causes a disaster. Despite this popular diffusion, it is a fable that is usually forgotten.
And yet, I think this myth describes very well what is happening in modern times, from the industrial revolution to the so-called AI (Artificial Intelligence), with key episodes such as atomic disintegration, the consumption of toxic petroleum derivatives and the excessive proliferation of images as substitutes for reality and digital messages that serve to distract or even alienate.
In the 20th century, some scientists came up with a great idea: “Let’s disintegrate the atoms: Let’s see what happens!” And the first to know were the inhabitants of Hiroshima. The latest seemingly diabolical invention is AI. It certainly has some useful applications, but from the outset it seems clear that this technology could do to the human spirit more or less what the atomic bomb did to matter and human bodies.
It is difficult to understand why a large part of humanity lends itself to the game of submitting to any new technology, even when it appears to be hostile to humans, since it is programmed to replace people with machines where it does not seem advisable to – it, and to replace reality with its falsifications and simulacra, real news with frauds, artistic and literary expressions with prefabricated, degraded, trivialized formulas, obtained – in addition – by stealing from various authors, who are despised. AI seems too effective a tool in the service of forgery and imposture.
Daniel G. Andújar has been able to react quickly to this new technological monster and presents a series of works that question it at the Àngels Barcelona gallery (until July 1). In the Old Fake News series, she deploys fake documentary photographs that invent feminist revolutions that never happened. The most curious thing is that the programming of the AI ​​does not foresee the possibility of a collective initiative and, systematically, it invents individual leaders, with names and surnames, which it places at the head of the revolt.
Equally significant is the set of images El rayo que no cesa (M.H.). Andújar asked the machine for versions of a photograph showing the poet Miguel Hernández reading. It called for very diverse characters, but the show only created white and blonde characters. It was difficult for him to get dark-skinned poetry readers to appear. But perhaps the funniest piece is Culture of Cancellation, in which pompous artificial intelligence creates murky images, photographic forgeries with muddled, perceptible errors. For example, an enormous, impossible pedestal, or a pseudo-photograph in which the metal surface of a sculpture has entrusted the people around it. Errors in the lying machine.
Anarchoma, tu y yo It is the apt title of the exhibition that Nazario presents at Bombon Projects until June 16. The selection of original drawings focuses on the main character created by Nazario. Some vignettes that seem invaded by full sexual satisfaction are almost understandable.
In one vignette, Anarcoma’s head rests happily and exhausted, dripping with fresh sweat, no doubt after a good nail, on the hairy chest of XM2, a hypersexual spawn that inspires this line: “My love, you’ll stay home forever You are the cool one of my life”. How beautiful love is.
