Belgrade Dreamscape

March 17-22, 2024, Center 424, Belgrade, Serbia 

I began this project by learning about Belgrade, Serbia via the internet, and generating A.I. images representative of my perception of this place with that knowledge, asking questions such as: What do I notice within what other people communicate about Belgrade? What does A.I. create with what I noticed? And what parts of the images resonated with my perception of this location?

My goal in implementing A.I. imagery was to introduce influences beyond the capacity of my ideas, the images function as a metaphor for the concept of a kaleidoscopic reality, which I could then use to draw connections to my and other artists' experiences of this location from abroad. At this time A.I. imagery has an uncanny relation to the real world but contains nuances that are distinguishable from reality upon examination. Using this tool in its current state, I could generate hyperreal, dream-like images of Belgrade. These generated images are displayed alongside my photographs of real places in Belgrade, encouraging viewers to critically examine each image.

Visiting Belgrade in person allowed me to take the place of the A.I. software used at the beginning of this project. Instead of gathering information about Belgrade online and feeding it to the generator and using the result to draw from, I’m gathering information in the form of conscious experience and putting that directly into drawings and photographs. In my pastel drawings, I enjoy deconstructing and abstracting objects through the intuitive use of color, exploring human visual perception and how color impacts conscious experience. I chose to render natural objects specific to this geographical location as they represent a new experience and source of inspiration. I hope that the people of Belgrade can experience these scenes and objects in a new light in this site-specific exhibition.