Magnus Gjoen is one of Art Republic’s bestselling and most collectible artists and we are delighted to launch his new collection, created with AI. Magnus’s work combines a street and pop aesthetic with a fine art approach, bringing together Renaissance source material with his own distinct motifs and patterns to create art that is the sum of many contradictions. In this conversation, we discuss the practice of painting by Artificial Intelligence and the exciting possibilities created through bringing AI into the art world.
'Allegory of the Unknown 21' by Magnus Gjoen
AR: How exactly do you use AI to create this new collection?
MG: There are many ways to go about creating AI artworks, but for me it's all about the knowledge and cultural references you bring in. If you don’t have this background - where you can reference art history and specific styles and characters, you won’t end up with something that has my creative DNA in it.
AR: What made you interested in incorporating AI in your practice?
MG: One cannot stand still and let progress pass one by. I’m from a family of early adopters and have been taught not to be scared of the ’new’. I don’t think AI will overtake traditional forms of art, but it will sit nicely side by side.
'Allegory of the Unknown 23' by Magnus Gjoen
AR; What do you think the potential for AI is for the art world specifically?
MG: I think it has a potential to be a helpful tool in creating compositions which haven’t been thought about before. There are some artists who are against it, but isn’t that simply because the AI has better ideas than them? AI will never be a substitute for a creative mind, because a creative mind can think outside the box and throw curve-balls an AI has not yet learnt.
AR: Who - or what - are your creative inspirations?
MG: I have a few time periods which are recurring themes in my art, however it's not as simple as telling an AI engine to paint a painting from the Renaissance. There is a lot of tweaking by trial and error and for me introducing unexpected elements into it is important. You are not recreating something that should be exactly the same as it has been. You need to add an element of the unexpected or absurd. An alternate reality in a time long passed.
'Allegory of the Absurd 6' by Magnus Gjoen
AR: What have the reactions been to you using AI within your work?
MG: I think people are a bit dubious at first, but every time they’ve seen the work in real life they have changed their minds. For me, art is about communication and culture; you are still able to do this through AI.
AR: Do you think it’s something we should be concerned about in our everyday lives or do you see it being full of potential?
MG: We should most definitely be concerned, but we have already seen its potential in spotting cancer and research in medicine. I’m an optimist, so until we are fighting robots on the streets I’m not looking over my shoulder.
Head to Magnus' collection to get your hands on some of his work, and to keep up to date with all of his releases.
