It had been speculated that the world would end in 2012, or at the very least mankind would enter a new eon. While the date came and went without a bang, unbeknownst to most humans on earth it may have actually happened, as we replaced our own minds as the smartest things on earth with quantum computing. This form of computing has led to the rise of Artificial Intelligence, and the last 5 years have seen major leaps towards creating machines smarter, stronger, and potentially more powerful than mankind. AI has now even crossed into the home with smart speakers, TV’s, and phones that have first names and know yours. What AI fundamentally means for us is impossible to calculate but we can’t deny its here and growing smarter every day.
Having something on the planet that can think for itself, invent its own language, and gain access to our most secured networks is troubling enough in fantasy films, but this is increasingly closer to the truth of our time. In Mathew Zefeldt’s installation we are confronted by the frightening side of AI, with the image of terminator painted on all surfaces of the gallery. The floor and all the walls are covered with repeating grey scale of it. Zefeldt has then installed 4 painted canvases with pink and red terminators on top of this motif. Being inside of Zefeldt’s installation one can’t escape the feeling of being overwhelmed and in the midst of something both awe inspiring and frightening.
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