Techart Conference

Lev Manovich 

■ Abstract

In this lecture I explore surprising parallels between generative AI art and a number of 20th-century artistic movements. Although generative AI and modernist art may appear to be exact opposites (one based on training data of existing art, the other focused on "making it new"), I will show how they share a surprising similarity in their underlying logic. While modernist artists explicitly opposed traditions, we'll explore how their approach to innovation parallels contemporary AI art in unexpected ways. This discussion will challenge existing assumptions about both historical avant-garde movements and cutting-edge technology in art creation, offering new perspectives on artistic innovation across different eras. 

■ Bio

Dr. Lev Manovich is a Presidential Professor at The Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY). He is recognized as one of the most influential thinkers in the world in the fields of digital art, digital culture, media theory, and digital humanities. After studying painting, architecture, and filmmaking, Manovich began using computers to create digital art in 1984. He has played a key role in creating four new research fields: new media and digital culture (1991-), software studies (2001-), cultural analytics (2005–), and AI aesthetics (2017-). Manovich is the author of 195 articles reprinted over 850 times in 37 languages and 17 books, including Artificial Aesthetics, Cultural Analytics, Instagram and Contemporary Image, Software Takes Command, and The Language of New Media, which has been called "the most provocative and comprehensive media history since Marshall McLuhan." His digital art projects have been exhibited in 14 solo and 123 international group exhibitions at many prestigious institutions, such as the Institute of Contemporary Art (London), the Centre Pompidou, and the Shanghai Biennale.