During the 59th edition of the Venice International Art Biennale, the exhibition of the first robot artist Ai-Da can be visited.

The exhibition entitled “Leaping into the Metaverse” is located in the space of the InParadiso Gallery, near the Giardini Della Biennale where the National Pavilions are located.
It is for the first time that a robot has a personal exhibition within the Biennale, even if in previous editions have been presented works created by Artificial Intelligence programs.

Ai-Da is named after the scientist Ada Lovelace (1815-1852), considered the first computer programmer in the world. Described as “the world’s first ultra-realistic humanoid robot artist,” Ai-Da draws using the cameras in her eyes, AI algorithms, and a robotic arm.

The exhibition “Leaping into the Metaverse” aims to draw our attention to the future of humanity in the context of new technologies that have invaded everyday life. The world is going through a major change similar to the industrial revolution.

“Art is a way to come together and discuss issues. It can be a great way to develop empathy and understanding. We talked about how things change and how things change rapidly. ” (Ai-Da Robot, 2022)

The theme of the exhibition is inspired by the Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri. The Metaverse, the place between reality and fiction, is compared to Dante’s Purgatory, the place between Heaven and Hell. The artistic approach highlights the negative influence that Artificial Intelligence can have on humanity. According to artistic discourse: “The metaverse is neither reality nor fiction, but a middle ground in which the boundary between fiction and reality becomes blurred.”

Among the most impressive works on display are: the series of self-portraits in which Ai-Da appears with her eyes closed suggesting that technology can blind us, the installation “Flowers on the banks of the Lethe”, a 3D sculpture made based on drawings created by Ai-Da, reminiscent of the flowers on the banks of the River Lethe whose waters caused drinkers to forget their past, and the sculpture “Immortal Riddle” which depicts Ai-Da with 3 legs, referring to the irresponsible use of biotechnology to extend the life span of people.

The works created by Ai-Da encourage the viewer to reflect on the positive, negative, and unpredictable aspects of the digital world, respectively of the Metaverse.

Ai-Da was created in early 2019 by Aidan Meller along with a team of programmers, roboticists, art experts, and psychologists. Aidan Meller is a specialist in modern and contemporary art and director of the Aidan Meller Art Gallery based in Oxford and London.

Her first solo show, “Unsecured Futures,” took place in June 2019 at the University of Oxford. Since then, Ai-Da has traveled and exhibited at prestigious institutions such as the Tate, the Tate Exchange, the Barbican, the United Nations, and the Design Museum. She also gave a speech at TEDx about the intersection of art and AI. In a very short time, AI-Da became known all over the world, her works being sold in auctions for significant amounts of money.

The exhibition can be visited until July 3, 2022.

Cover photo source: Forbes. ro
Photographer: Victor Frankowski