2022,
Video with sound, animation, 6:27 min,
mp4-file, aspect ratio 16:9, 9:16, 1:1,
Limited edition: 5 + 2AP, available.
The idea of creating artificial life has always been with us. The homunculus of the late Middle Ages—the “little man”—symbolizes this desire as well as the ambivalence surrounding it. Today, this figure returns not as a physical entity but as an image: as a projection of human traits onto digitally generated faces.
With the advancements in artificial intelligence since the early 2020s, portraits have emerged that lack any biographical or photographic reference yet still appear familiar. They depict faces that never existed, yet seem visually plausible.
“Homunculus” (2022) takes its cue from this. The work confronts the viewer with animated AI-generated portraits and reveals their artificial origin from the very beginning. This shifts perception: expression is both read and deconstructed. The facial expressions reinforce this ambivalence by lending the faces a sense of liveliness while simultaneously creating a sense of unease.
The work functions as an experimental setup for reception. The focus is not on the technology, but on the interplay of image, context, and perception. It examines the tipping point between acceptance and rejection: When is what is seen accepted as credible—and when does it lose this plausibility?
Exhibition history:
2023 – TransHumance – Toward the precipitation of Self, Lavagna / IT
2023 – Uncanny Valley // Das unheimliche Tal, Augsburg
2022 – 74th Great Swabian Art Exhibition, Augsburg
