For artists, these are uncertain times. Recent developments in generative artificial intelligence have shocked academic and creative communities around the world. From powerful chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s new Bing search engine, to image generation tools like Craiyon and Midjourney, the distinction between humans and machines is becoming increasingly blurred. This uncertainty has given rise to a series of questions. What does it mean to be creative? Is the derivative of AI really that different from human artistic processes? What is the place of computers in the art world?
Fortunately, this digital computation coincides with a new exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Coded: Art Enters the Computer Age, 1952-1982. Curated by LACMA’s Leslie Jones, this collection of his 100+ works explores the incorporation of digital technology into art in the dawn of computing. Before the PC revolution, mainframes dominated the public understanding of digital technology and captured the attention of many of the creators of the day. “Coded” shows many artistic expressions of this computer immersion.
The exhibition consists of six sections and progresses roughly in chronological order. Curated to build on the advancement of computer technology capabilities and the fascination of humanity, the show presents art, often overlooked or ignored, with new significance and relevance. Mr Jones said in the exhibition notes:
As you enter the exhibition, you are greeted by Edward Kienholz’s 1965 work The Friendly Gray Computer — Star Gauge Model #54. The metal enclosure with its large eye-like dial and puppet feet protruding forward represents an early attempt to humanize the computer. From the outset, the work demonstrates the tension that accompanies an artistic endeavor aimed at revealing technical mysteries.
The relative accessibility of this exhibit is quickly lost as you move on to further sections of the show. Having established the paradoxical circumstance of the relationship between art and computer technology, ‘Coded’ sets out to explore the various meanings of the digital movement, from aesthetics to epistemology to politics.
Frederick Hammersley’s collection of “computer drawings” from 1969 helps illustrate these implications. Computer Using his Art1 program, one of his first programs designed for artists, Hammersley created a series of printed images using only alphanumeric characters. Feeding his design into his IBM mainframe, the printer created rectangular renderings of various photographs. Constructing images from basic units such as letters, numbers, and symbols demonstrates the emergence of new types of artistic expression and talent while challenging preconceived notions of the ontological nature of artwork.
Still, Hamersley seems to constitute one of the tamer figures presented in the collection.Works by Vera Molnar and Harold Cohen in particular represent a profound exploration of the possibilities of computer-assisted art. As the title suggests, Molnar’s ‘The Second Coming of Paul Klee’ is inspired by Klee’s 1927 Variations. In her Searching for Paul Klee, Molnar programmed a computer with horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines to create geometric figures very similar to her 1927 original work.
Cohen’s work relied on the use of his AI drawing program, AARON, which, combined with a “turtle” drawing mechanism, could autonomously create new images. One of the works exhibited at “Coded” is titled “74D10”. The various amorphous abstract computers that Cohen hand-colored his drawings evoke a strange familiarity, perhaps akin to Kandinsky. The deceptive similarity of humanity in Cohen’s work gives us strong reason to ponder the nature of the artistic process.
“Coded” is an exhausting exhibition. Although covering only 30 years, the collection represents a true odyssey, using a wide range of works to tackle a profound artistic discourse. Curiously, when they leave the gallery, they have to pass Kienholtz’s “Friendly Gray Computer” again. The mysterious sense of humanity and life emanating from the work becomes very poignant after digesting the rest of the show. seems eager to cooperate with As Kienholz’s quirky computer shows, “Coded” focuses not on the potential dangers of AI, but on the exciting new frontiers it brings.
“Coded” is on display at LACMA until July 2nd. Students are entitled to a discount on admission upon presentation of a valid student ID.
