Context
In the early 19th century, the emergence of photography marked a paradigm shift, transforming how reality and authenticity were perceived. Hand-colored daguerreotypes—often mistaken for oil paintings—highlight how this new medium blurred the line between image and reality, challenging conventional ideas of visual representation.
Today, AI-powered text-to-image models are once again redefining these boundaries, making it increasingly difficult to distinguish between the real and the artificial. But unlike many AI tools that aim for photorealism, this series explores a different approach: it seeks to reshape photographic language itself. By blending realism and abstraction, it ventures into new visual territories—reimagining how images can be seen, read, and felt.
For years, I’ve been photographing curious wrapped objects found in streets and public spaces. These accidental sculptures often reminded me of Christo’s art—though unlike his carefully orchestrated wrappings, these forms emerged spontaneously, carrying their own quiet poetry. Their appeal lies in what they conceal: a shape wrapped in mystery, inviting speculation. In a garden, it might be a grill; near a construction site, perhaps building materials. Stripped of clear context, they become playgrounds for the imagination—abstract forms defined only by folds, edges, and surface tension.
In this series, I extended that investigation by using an AI model trained on my own photographs of these wrapped forms. I created silhouettes from drawings and collages, then combined them with text prompts—guiding the AI to interpret these abstract shapes as recognizable figures: an animal, a person, a familiar presence.
The resulting images live in the space between clarity and ambiguity. At first glance, they may seem familiar—yet on closer look, they unravel into texture and strangeness. Something is suggested, but never fully revealed.
Ultimately, the work invites a reflection on perception and interpretation. It plays with the tension between showing and hiding, asking viewers not just to look—but to imagine.
Series
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- ↑ #00158
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- ↑ #00054
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- ↑ #00048
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- ↑ #00106
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- ↑ #00142
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- ↑ #00060
Exhibitions
Art Prolongs Life – Prescriptions from the HUS Art Collection, 16.11.2024 – 5.1.2025, Kunsthalle Helsinki
Art Center Purnu, Purnu FI (2024)
OTOS 2-5 November 2023, Cable Factory (Helsinki)
Galleria Heino 2.9.2023 – 24.9.2023
Photos by Pertti Kärki / Galleria Heino
Notes
The images displayed on this page are only part of the series.
For more images, previews can be found in the book available on my webshop.
