What does an algorithm look like? Can artificial intelligence generate an image that is its view of itself? These are questions that sparked Mexican artist Omar Jaimes Rew's research, leading to this artistic experiment.
A self-portrait is a portrait created by the person themselves and is one of the most profound exercises in self-analysis an artist can undertake. It involves carefully examining one's face and knowing oneself so intimately that one's expression is reflected in the resulting drawing or painting.
Jaimes Rew's proposal here is to explore the possibility of creating a self-portrait using artificial intelligence that paradoxically lacks consciousness, identity or subjectivity.
Using artificial neural network models, the artist turns this impossibility into a field of aesthetic exploration, where the network interprets textual descriptions and produces images that are, rather than a reflection of itself, a space where the human gaze and algorithmic logic converge.
At this crossroads, Jaimes Rew reflects on authorship, identity, and the very notion of creativity in a context where technology not only mediates the gaze but also produces it.
The resulting images thus become a metaphor for the dialogue between humans and artificial intelligence, where the portrait ceases to be an individual representation and becomes a shared gesture.
Impossible self-portrait of an artificial neural network brings into question the relationship between artificial intelligence and human creation, and the new visual configurations that are emerging in contemporary art.
Visual artist born in Toluca, Mexico, in 1984, whose practice falls within the field of techno-aesthetic research and production, with a focus on experimentation through appropriation and remix as conceptual strategies. His work questions notions of authorship and the dynamics of circulation and mass production of images in contemporary culture. He uses technology not only as a tool, but also as a critical and discursive component, approaching digital media itself from a reflective perspective.
As a manager and curator, he has promoted and participated in various contemporary art projects, including the Silencios Alternos sound art festival, the Arte Abierto: Arte para Todos call for entries, and the independent space Refugio para Emergencias Visuales. His work has been exhibited at events such as BILIA (Latin American Biennial of Art with Artificial Intelligence) and the 404 International Festival of Art and Technology, among others.