A tightly cropped photograph of a gen Z girl messily eating... Painting

Born in 1979 and currently living and working in London, I am an artist who has evolved a strong relationship with digital imagery throughout my career. Before delving into the world of painting, I worked as a digital retoucher in the fashion industry for over 15 years. Recently, with the huge advancements in AI, I’ve become interested in generating images that have the appearance of real photographs. I use these images as references for my paintings, which reflect the aesthetic I’ve been exposed to for much of my life; while contemplating a way to co-create with this new technology. I’m fascinated by the possibility of this technology to create people and places that are a constellation of presences across different timelines. Speculative characters who may or may not have existed, or might in the future. By rendering them in oil paint, I’m giving them a material presence in the world, solidifying them. I chose the subject of hamburgers for the paintings, as I like the parallels that can be drawn between the act of consumption of burgers and AI. I’ve always felt extremely suspicious of what was inside a burger; despite the shiny exterior of the bun and enticing advertisements I always wondered – is it good for me? Similarly with AI, there is at once an urge to adopt and use it, as well as a deep distrust and fear of what changes it will bring – will it be good for us? I want the paintings to convey this dichotomy: that of the seductive veneer and underlying sense of unease, that something isn’t quite right.