The
PhotoVogue Festival, the first conscious fashion photography festival that focuses on the common ground between ethics and aesthetics, returns for its eighth edition. From November 16 to 19, 2023, BASE Milano will host a series of exhibitions and a three-day symposium examining the profound impact of artificial intelligence (A.I.) on human existence and the creation of images, complemented by satellite events at the city's finest galleries.
Continuing its journey dedicated to shaping a more just and inclusive society through visual literacy, PhotoVogue invited artists from around the world to submit work that challenges the traditional notions of beauty and celebrates diversity through photographs and A.I.-generated images. The resulting exhibitions “What is beauty” and “What is beauty A.I” feature work by 53 artists, including the creative duo Togo Yeye, Chiron Dung, Luisa Dörr and Salome Gomis Trezise.
The thought-provoking exhibitions “Uncanny Atlas: Image in the age of A.I.” and ‘Eternal Loops’ further explore how AI is reshaping photography and video, reality, and perception, inviting viewers to confront uncharted territories within an evolving world, featuring works by Michael Christopher Brown, Ali Cha’aban, Laurie Simmons and Pierre Zandrowicz among others.
“Our intention is to address the ethical, aesthetic, and political implications raised by this revolutionary technology. Together, we will explore A.I.'s potential for reshaping our understanding of creativity, human existence, and the very essence of how we communicate and convey our visions to the world” – Alessia Glaviano, Head of Global PhotoVogue and Director of PhotoVogue Festival
EXHIBITIONS
WHAT IS BEAUTY?
Continuing its journey dedicated to shaping a more just and inclusive society through visual literacy, PhotoVogue invited artists from around the world to submit work that challenges the traditional notions of beauty. The exhibition on display at BASE features work by 40 artists from 24 countries.
Simélan (Fish from the water), 2023 © Togo Yeye
Eb, 25 weeks pregnant, post mastectomy © Amy Woodward
Featuring 13 artists whose A.I.-generated image submissions earned widespread acclaim from the jury, this exhibition delves into the festival's overarching theme, What Makes Us Human? Image in the Age of A.I. While distinct from traditional photography, these artworks highlight the profound intersection of technology and human creativity, inviting profound contemplation of the boundless possibilities of A.I. in reshaping the artistic landscape and its impact on human expression in the digital era.
“Ada and Amara” from the project ‘I am that I am’ ©Rozemarlin Borkent
The radical ambiguity of the photographic medium, which on the one hand promises adherence to the subject and on the other allows artifice and manipulation, seemed the perfect language to narrate a fluid world in which we moved like tightrope walkers, balancing between the digital and the real. This exhibition aims to be a principle of cartography of this new world. And it does so through an investigation of how A.I. is changing, along with image production, our idea of photography, and inevitably also that of reality.
Beirut Dystopia © Ali Cha’aban
In the age of AI, a global archive of standardized human perception in visual art has emerged. This surplus of similar imagery, previously overlooked, now offers fresh creative possibilities with AI's regenerative capabilities. In this video exhibition, thirteen artists venture deeper into this paradigm, crafting narratives that hover between familiarity and innovation, evoking an eerie recognition before profoundly transforming the known into the unfamiliar.
SPANISH WOMEN: A CONTEMPORARY PORTRAIT OF STRENGTH AND BEAUTY
This exhibition celebrates the remarkable results of PhotoVogue's inaugural Open Call in Spain done in collaboration with PHotoESPAÑA, the country's most prestigious photography festival. PhotoVogue and Vogue Spain called upon artists from around the globe to submit their works, defying conventional norms and presenting fresh visual narratives.
“Young girl in yellow dress” © Daniel de Jorge
On November 16, Karni Arieli, the visionary behind the transformative Eye Mama movement, will be in conversation with several contributors of the Eye Mama book. In addition to the discussion, a slideshow of images from the book will be on view in the exhibition space during the festival. The Eye Mama book unveils the often-hidden aspects of care, motherhood, family dynamics, and the post-motherhood journey. Conceived during the global pandemic, the Eye Mama movement explores the mama gaze, capturing the profound and poetic truths of participating mamas and artists.
