For over two decades, AI and digital art pioneer, technologist, and writer Miguel Ripoll has explored the intersection of creativity and code across media — his work featured in major international museums, books, and magazines. read full bio
Human-led, AI-generated iterative adversarial dialogue mixed with hand-crafted digital media
a series of phygital works on canvas that question and subvert long-established themes and traditions of artistic praxis and the role narratives, beliefs, and myths play within the context of our contemporary anxieties about tech dystopias, societal inequalities, personal struggles, political division, and environmental degradation. read more
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01 — Unedifying / cancelled stories
The enduring relevance of classical mythology lies in its ability to speak to universal themes and experiences: stories and characters timeless in their appeal, capturing the complexities and contradictions of the human experience in a way that is both immediate and profound. Whether exploring themes of love, loss, power, or transformation, classical myths offer a rich and varied tapestry of ideas and images.
Incorrect Deities
These complicated narratives feel often shockingly unacceptable to our contemporary sensibilities — women are raped, objectified and commodified; violence is retorted to as the default conflict resolution method; slavery, incest, abuse and violence are daily occurrences nobody seems to bat an eye at...
And then, what happens to those heroes and deities of the past when they get finally forgotten, their inconvenient stories misunderstood or erased from our collective imagination, their iconology no longer legible — or worse, their visual tropes and profound meanings cheaply distorted into less sophisticated narratives for a society unable or unwilling to invest on historic perspective, complexity and nuance? What do we lose and what do we gain from this erasure, and how do we now absorb those mythologies into our own (maybe better) ones in a way that helps us navigate our present conflicts?
© Miguel Ripoll 2021—2024.
Human–led, AI–generated iterative adversarial dialogue (based on a custom dataset) and hand–crafted mixed digital media, manually edited, re–compiled, digitally modified, and giclée printed on hand–finished archival–grade Hahnemühle canvas 340 g/m². 100 × 100 cms (39.3" x 39.3").
Original artworks (not part of an edition) signed on the back and authenticated with Hahnemühle hologram certificate.
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02 — Unsung / wrong miracles
The Legenda Aurea, or Golden Legend, a medieval collection of hagiographies, or stories of saints and martyrs, compiled by the Italian chronicler and bishop Jacobus de Voragine in the 13th century, became immensely popular throughout Europe and was widely read in the Middle Ages, inspiring countless works of art across a range of media.
Not–so–golden legends
Despite its overtly Christian religious themes, however, the art derived from the Legenda Aurea was also notable for its humanism, which emphasized the dignity and worth of individual human beings. Many of the stories focused on the suffering and sacrifice of ordinary people, highlighting their courage and perseverance in the face of adversity, a departure from earlier traditions, which tended to focus more on the divine and the supernatural.
In our socially and economically unequal and divided societies, where a hyper-technological culture prompts us to build ever-evolving versions of ourselves on a daily grind, will the meek finally inherit the Earth? What narratives will nurture our imagination and inspire us? What do we need to believe or endure to elevate ourselves? And where to?
© Miguel Ripoll 2021—2024.
Human–led, AI–generated iterative adversarial dialogue (based on a custom dataset) and hand–crafted mixed digital media, manually edited, re–compiled, digitally modified, and giclée printed on hand–finished archival–grade Hahnemühle canvas 340 g/m². 100 × 100 cms (39.3" x 39.3").
Original artworks (not part of an edition) signed on the back and authenticated with Hahnemühle hologram certificate.
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03 — Unreliable / useless heroes
The "peasant genre" or "genre scenes" in art, popular during the Northern Renaissance in the 16th and 17th centuries, depicted bustling rural villages with detailed chaos. These artworks still resonate by showcasing the energy and struggles of ordinary folks, shedding light on socio-political issues like political oppression and economic inequality.
Masters vs. peasants
This genre's timeless allure stems from its ability to portray humanity's vitality and unity, emphasizing empathy and solidarity. It contrasts urban isolation, highlights cultural heritage loss, and resonates with today's nostalgia for a connected, diverse world. In essence, the peasant genre endures as a testament to our shared human experience, bridging past and present with empathy and compassion.
In these scenes, pristine blue skies serve as a framing for a gathering of people. But what are they doing in this natural enclave? What is going on here? Is this a scene of violence or celebration? Is it a rustic festival or an arcane sacrifice to demanding gods? Is this a carnival of happily unbridled lust or a stage for unspeakable acts of abuse? Are these people being saved? And if so, by whom? And what from?
© Miguel Ripoll 2021—2024.
Human–led, AI–generated iterative adversarial dialogue (based on a custom dataset) and hand–crafted mixed digital media, manually edited, re–compiled, digitally modified, and giclée printed on hand–finished archival–grade Hahnemühle canvas 340 g/m². 100 × 100 cms (39.3" x 39.3").
Original artworks (not part of an edition) signed on the back and authenticated with Hahnemühle hologram certificate.
Although partially generated through AI-mediated dialogue, these artworks are not nere randomly “prompted” patterns of synthetic noise, but made with clear intention and purpose by combining the LLMs' output with meticulously hand–crafted processes based on traditional techniques.
Made with AI, not by AI
A large library of visual elements is generated through complex iterative adversarial dialogue with an AI LLM (based on a custom dataset of images and textual primary and secondary sources). The resulting visual bits and pieces are, however, not used simply as they are, uncritically. Instead, they are manually re–edited, retouched, remixed, manipulated, and transformed using various digital software tools, in a process that is exclusively human-led and guided only by a singularly human artistic vision.
Code as art
Finally, each artwork is giclée printed with archival ink on museum–grade Hahnemühle canvas 340 g/m², signed and authenticated. Original digital files are then deleted — so that each piece becomes a single unique physical object derived from combining contemporary technology with centuries–old traditions and materials.
From text to texture
I never try to mimic the texture of the paintbrush: I want my work to be recognisable by their unique digital texture (also very different from pixelation). These AI-assisted pieces incorporate a unique form of texture — the texture of data.
The texture of the digital process, from the algorithms' complex code to the interplay of data points, becomes an essential part of the work's identity and is very evident in its final form (hence the large scale of the canvases, so that the intricate detail can be fully appreciated).
This produces a novel form of texture that is native to the digital medium and an integral aspect of my artistic practice.
