SerraGliaWrapped Wonders 2.9.2023 – 24.9.2023

Wrapped Wonders is a series of AI-generated images and manipulated photographs. Drawing inspiration from the transformative history of photography, the project delves into the new potential aesthetics of digitally created images.

In the early 19th century, the emergence of photography catalyzed a paradigm shift, reshaping perceptions of reality and authenticity. The initial confusion between hand-colored daguerreotypes and oil paintings underscores the revolutionary impact of this medium.

Fast-forward to our days, AI-powered text-to-image models are expanding the boundaries of photorealism, making it challenging to recognize what is real and what is not.

Like early photographs mimicking classical paintings, contemporary AI-generated models aspire to replicate photorealistic imagery.

However, rather than striving to reproduce a photorealistic portrayal of reality, by training an AI model using photographs from my private archive, I aimed to create a new photographic language between photography, computer-generated images, and realism.

Beyond achieving precise photographic renderings, the project raises intriguing questions about the diverse aesthetics of digitally created images. Can these images establish a new form of photographic realism? And what alternative reality can they shape within the minds of viewers?

In the real world, when we come across covered objects—such as a bicycle covered or a bus stop temporarily wrapped in plastic—even though we can't see the full details of the object, our brains use contextual clues and our prior knowledge to make assumptions about what's underneath the covering.

This process of assumption based on the object's covered shape is a testament to the incredible abilities of our brains to interpret the world around us. It satisfies our innate desire to understand and make sense of the world.

But what about these covered objects that don't exist in reality? Should we wonder about what's underneath? Can we truly find a rational explanation of what could be underneath? Or should we simply accept them as abstract compositions that have the potential to spark our imagination?

Serraglia