Mario Klingman pushes the boundaries of AI art with his ever-changing piece

Mario Klingman’s most recent art sale may not have captured the AI art hype but it leaves us with something to ponder. In October of 2018, many heads turned when Christie’s auctioned off an AI-created piece of artwork. The strike of the gavel and $432,500 dollars later, the hype for AI art had begun. Or not? Sotheby’s most recent auction looked to continue on with the AI art narrative. Mario Klingman’s Memories of Passersby I fetched only a modest sum but continues on an interesting path.

How was the artwork created?

• Klingman used neural networks through a concept called “neurography”
• His neurography approach projects imaginary people onto a two-screen installation
• He spent three months creating the piece itself
• He trained the neural network with thousands of portraits between the 17th and 19th century
• The result are two screens that change and transition with portraits of imaginary people

And the outcome?

The initial bid began at GBP 20,000 (approximately USD 26,305) and finished off at GBP 40,000 (approximately USD 52,610). The dynamic nature of the artwork is an interesting concept. The lack of a fixed or final product is a representation of our vapid and ever-changing times. While the final price may not have continued on the hype train, the outcome is far more fascinating. The whole project is reminiscent of the recent viral hit, thispersondoesnotexist.com. Upon each page refresh, a new photo of a person appears. Each photo is entirely AI-based with outcomes that are entirely believable.

You can currently see an example of Klingman’s Memories of Passersby I at Colección SOLO in Spain.