Alexander Reben Write a convoluted exhibition title for Alexander Reben's show in the basement of the Charlie James Gallery
“One might prudently reconsider attending Alexander Reben's latest foray into algorithmic aesthetics at the Charlie James Gallery, where the incessant cacophony of synthetic semiotics risks diluting the very essence of avant-garde ingenuity. Reben's ostensibly groundbreaking AI constructs, while pushing the boundaries of post-human expressionism, inadvertently succumb to a labyrinthine opacity that obfuscates any semblance of genuine emotional resonance. The exhibition, rather than serving as a palimpsest of innovative discourse, devolves into a simulacrum of mechanized profundity, rendering the spectator's engagement a Sisyphean endeavor. In an era where authenticity in artistic praxis is paramount, Reben's digital reveries may ultimately leave the connoisseur yearning for a more substantively corporeal dialogue.” – ChatGPT
Charlie James Gallery is pleased to present Write a convoluted exhibition title for Alexander Reben's show in the basement of the Charlie James Gallery, an exhibition of works by the conceptual artist and MIT-trained roboticist Alexander Reben, who utilizes artificial intelligence to create artworks that spring from the interface between human and machine. Reben’s open-hearted approach to technology allows space for both wonder and humor. His works take a wide array of forms, ranging from large, machine-made metal sculptures to an ongoing series of ChatGPT-generated self-critical texts that playfully skewer the language of stereotypical artspeak. Elsewhere, Reben incorporates viewer input into continually evolving artworks that represent a collaboration between artist, viewer, and algorithm.
The centerpiece of the exhibition is the large wall-based sculpture AI and the Anvil, in which small, intricate waves ripple across a vast metal surface. With this work, Reben explores the realm of directly converting language into tangible sculpture. Using the giant metal-forming robots of Machina Labs, Reben iteratively collaborates with an AI that autonomously generates code that creates generative 3D sculptures as instructions for massive robotic systems. This enables the robots to sculpt sheet metal into artworks with remarkable precision in a way impossible with other fabrication methods. Reben describes the performative nature of the sculpture’s making as akin to a high-pressure tango, where each machine must move in precisely the opposite direction of the other to balance the immense forces required to manipulate metal. This poetic movement not only reflects the intricacies of their physical interaction but also embodies the delicate dance of creation itself.
Other works incorporate prompts in real time, transforming input from exhibition visitors into AI-generated images and text. Speak Art Into Life invites viewers to suggest ideas to a microphone, which AI converts into visual outputs that become exquisite corpse-style collaborative images. The images evolve over the course of the exhibition, growing and expanding in unpredictable ways. The use of four classic analog flap displays emphasizes the near-uncanny newness of the cutting edge tech that powers the work. By operating on the leading edge of what technology allows, Reben invites us to imagine possible futures for our relationship to machines, making room for a sense of play and even beauty in the boundaries between language and code.
Alexander Reben is an artist who has spent over a decade creating work that probes the inherently human nature of the artificial. With his start at MIT Media Lab, Reben has long studied human-robot symbiosis and art, using experimentation and prototyping to delve into our intricate relationships with algorithms, automation, and amplification. Through the lenses of absurdity, humor, and mischief, his artwork highlights our inseparable evolutionary entanglement with the technology that shapes our existence.
Reben has become a leading figure at the intersection of art and technology. He was OpenAI’s first Artist in Residence, and his first solo museum retrospective, “AI Am I?”, which included an exhibition of over 120 artworks, recently concluded at the Crocker Art Museum. His work has been exhibited globally at institutions including Ars Electronica, MAK Contemporary Art Museum, Vitra Design Museum, Design Museum Ghent, and the Vienna Biennale. As an expert in his field, he has lectured at TED, SXSW, TTI Vanguard, Google, UC Berkeley, SMFA, CCA, MIT, and Harvard. Reben’s work has been covered by CNN, NPR, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Washington Post, Fast Company, Filmmaker Magazine, New Scientist, BBC, PBS, Discovery Channel, Cool Hunting, MIT Technology Review and WIRED, among others.