Hot Literati @ The Whitney
Reflections on Harold Cohen: AARON
I, Hailo, have been to the Whitney Museum three times in the past year. The first time I was deeply sad and homesick and clung to the Robert Henri painting because I was (and still am very slowly, like a devotional) reading his book The Art Spirit.
The second time, I was with my friend Jalen, a very talented photographer. We saw the Henry Taylor Black Panther exhibit and bonded throughout the night over a shared love of Car Set Headrest and Arthur Schopenhauer.
This time, I saw Aaron.
Harold Cohen: AARON is a new exhibit on floor 8 showcasing an early use of AI in art. Basically one painter programmed a software to make art for and with him. Even as an AI skeptic, I have to admit it's exciting and delightful in this early iteration. The plaques describe him connecting its creation process to that of a child drawing, teaching it to make random squiggles and such, ultimately connecting them at the end.
This process with AI and art feels so intimate. Wrought with the joys and complexities of creating and stepping away, not unlike the themes of The Circular Ruins by Borges.
It reminded me of my own childhood a bit, the Microsoft paint application, tracking Santa, so on and so forth. I sent videos to my father. He sent back AI generated images of a girl who was supposed to be me at an art museum. This is the 21st century. It looked really cool in '07. Maybe there is hope.