This project, "AI Graffiti" is an intersection of three powerful forces in my art practice: Street Art, Linocut Printing, and AI imagery. Growing up in Southern California, graffiti was an ever-present discovery amidst the Los Angeles sprawl. I've always been interested in the art itself, and especially how it becomes worn, textured, and layered by the overlapping effects of concrete walls, weather, and urban grime. From my very early days of exploring urban photography, I have tried to capture the beauty and chaos of street art in situ.
The second point of inspiration came about in the past year with my introduction to block printing. I discovered a love for the hand-tooled process of this 1800-year-old art form. Early on in my exploration I made linocuts based on graffiti. I liked the similarities of layering paint on a brick wall and layering ink on paper.
And finally, with the explosion of new tools for computer image generation, I have been exploring AI Art. AI is still learning to make pictures. It acts as a childlike lens as it interprets our visual world. There is a naivety, even an innocence, in the results. Using image generation tools like Mid Journey, I engaged in a conversation with technology, prompting the software to show me "A linocut print of graffiti in black ink." I used a selection of the resultant images to create my "AI Graffiti" prints.
I am fascinated by translating art mediums. This project is inspired by physical street art but passed through the digital eyes of AI and finally back through the very physical process of hand carving linoleum. Is the ultimate "author" the graffiti artist? Or the AI software that generates images based on that inspiration? Or the hand that carves the linoleum? Are these prints "found objects," repurposed art, or original creations?
My "AI Graffiti" prints are both familiar and alien. They playfully blur the definitions and expectations of intent and authorship.
