Finding Relevance: AI, Photography and Politics in the Works of Andreas Gursky and Alkan Avcıoğlu

Hello hello. Today I'm back with... art!

My recent explorations inspired me to dive into two artists' work that sets excellent examples of visual storytelling. Please enjoy and let me know what you think : ) Let's dive in 👇

As AI tools increasingly succeed at imitating reality and more artists embrace them, discussions surrounding originality have been on the rise. The originality I'm referring to is not as much the datasets used - another hot topic about AI "stealing" someone's style or techniques, but rather the relevance and importance of the new pieces created.

To quote John Tuld from Margin Call, "There are three ways to make a living in this business: be first, be smarter, or cheat." I'm half-joking in quoting this, but the reality is that early adopters of new technology are pioneers and celebrated for the creative use cases they bring forward. The challenge of being relevant only increases as more people enter. This phenomenon applies in many fields, and art is no exception. 

Five years ago I wrote a piece titled "AI Artists, What Are You Selling: An Image, A Neural Network Or A Story?". Some artists discussed the creative use of AI to make the final image, while other examples were prominent because of the narrative shaped behind the pieces made. I believe that in a world where society is drowning in generated content, the need to shape artistic relevance that contributes to a broader dialogue is ever-important.

So why Andreas Gursky and Alkan Avcıoğlu?

In both cases, artists address the growing societal issues through subtle yet powerful visual storytelling; Gursky's work raises questions of overconsumption, while Avcıoğlu explores our bodies on a deeper level—both physical overpopulation and the individual mental capacity to process an overflowing amount of information.

I discovered Andreas Gursky while pursuing my art business diploma at Sotheby’s. It wasn’t until 2018 when visiting his retrospective - the “Redefining photography” exhibition at the Hayward Gallery in London, that the images strongly resonated with me; large-scale, highly detailed canvases, which often present a somewhat 'empty' feel despite the abundance captured within his frames.

Gursky's focus on consumption, production, and the repetitive patterns of machinery and products speaks to a world where human presence is suggested but rarely the focal point. His photographs, while grandiose, often evoke a sense of isolation or detachment, reflecting on the scale of human endeavours and the spaces we occupy and transform.

Avcıoğlu, on the contrary, came on my radar more recently while exhibiting my own Web3 People Portraits at Paris Photo last year. Born in Turkey in 1982, Avcıoğlu has carved a niche for himself as an outsider artist and a visionary, leveraging his extensive background in film, music, and digital arts to explore new frontiers of expression. His collection, "Overpopulated Symphonies," marks a significant departure from the solitude of Gursky's landscapes. Utilizing AI to create post-photographic masterpieces, Avcıoğlu floods his canvases with dense gatherings of human figures. These figures, reduced to nearly indistinguishable points, create a sea of humanity that speaks volumes about the contemporary condition.

"Overpopulated Symphonies" is more than just a visual representation of crowd density; it is a metaphor for the deluge of information that bombards us daily. In Avcıoğlu's work, individuals embody thoughts, ideas, and the incessant flow of data we navigate, raising poignant questions about identity, individuality, and our capacity to process and prioritize in an age of information overload.

This thematic divergence from Gursky's portrayal of consumerist landscapes to Avcıoğlu's teeming human masses is striking. Where Gursky's work can be seen as highlighting the spaces left by human activity, Avcıoğlu's use of AI to generate populated scenes emphasizes the overwhelming presence of humanity and our collective narrative. It is a shift from the material to the social, from the empty spaces we leave behind to the crowded spaces we inhabit and the mental landscapes we cross.

My admiration for both artists stems from a shared belief in the transformative power of photography and its potential to influence social change. As someone who has explored the impact of images through my graduate thesis, I find the dialogue between Gursky's and Avcıoğlu's works to be a fascinating commentary on our times. Both artists, in their respective approaches, offer insights into the human condition and the complex world we navigate.

In conclusion, while Andreas Gursky and Alkan Avcıoğlu may operate on seemingly divergent thematic spectrums, their works intersect in the philosophical inquiries they prompt about our existence and the spaces we occupy. They also set examples of visual storytelling that speaks beyond the image itself without the need of words. Through the lens of these two artists, we are invited to reflect on our place in a rapidly changing world, urging us to find clarity amidst the chaos.

You can explore Overpopulated Symphonies series here.

The Base collectible for this article was made by me using Midjourney, here is the full image: