AI Realism: Qantar 2022
Almagul MENLIBAYEVA
- Kazakhstan
- 2022
- 24min
- 12 +
- DCP
- color
Korean Premiere
Synopsis
The 'AI Realism' project uses cutting-edge AI technology, generating images from the speeches of victims and witnesses of political turmoil. It explores historical traumas like the Gulag, nuclear traumas, and more. In today's world, it empowers independent voices against misinformation. Born online during Kazakhstan's tragic events in 2022, it challenges prevailing narratives. The fusion of art and AI sparks critical conversations about memory, truth, and technology's impact on our perception of reality. 'AI Realism' is a groundbreaking force that uncovers untold stories, inviting reflection on our collective past, present, and future.
Review
In January 2021, protests sparked in a Kazakh city against skyrocketing gas prices soon spread across the country. But citizens protesting long-standing corruption and inequality in Kazakh society face a ruthless government crackdown. With coverage of the protests tightly controlled, Almagul Menribayeva, a visual artist from Almaty, Kazakhstan, uses AI technology to create images from scattered records and testimonies. She then arranges them according to the timeline of the protests. The result is AI Realism: Qantar 2022 is an interesting practice that utilizes AI technology to challenge entrenched and structural oppression.
Director
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Almagul MENLIBAYEVA
Video artist and photographer utilizing AI technology. Focuses on political transformations in post-Socialist Central Asia, ecology, and gender through multi-channel video, photography, and installations. Recognized globally for participation in esteemed art exhibitions like Venice Biennale and Sharjah Biennial. Solo exhibition Transformation at Grand Palais honored with Chevalier Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2017.