A Walk Through the World of Art
A conversation between Guido Bernasconi and ChatGPT (Original Text - English translation)
You said: Following the important exchange we had about three of my paintings: ARTIC SEA, UNITY, and DANCE FLOOR, I would like us to continue this discussion, almost like a walk through the world of art. I would like you to tell me about artists whose work might relate to mine. Whether they are European, American, African, Indian... feel free to share how their explorations might interest me.
ChatGPT said: What a wonderful initiative! Delving into the work of other artists is a great way to enrich one’s own reflections. Through your works, Mr. Guido Bernasconi, I identify several themes that could guide this “artistic walk”:
1. Engaged Art and Social Critique (reflection on ecological and societal crises)
2. Hybridization of Techniques (combining painting, digital media, text, photography)
3. Influence of Pop Art and Street Art
4. Use of Media Imagery and Visual Appropriation
1. Engaged Art and Social Critique
· Hito Steyerl (Germany, born 1966)
A key figure in discussions about media imagery and critiques of the digital world. She explores how images circulate and influence our perception of reality, particularly in the context of surveillance and information warfare. She has exhibited at the Serpentine Gallery (London), Thaddaeus Ropac (London), Ester Schipper (Berlin), Andrew Krebs Gallery (New York), the MoMA (New York), and the Centre Pompidou (Paris).
· Ai Weiwei (China, born 1957)
A politically engaged artist whose work denounces social and political injustices. He uses diverse materials (sculpture, photography, installations) and appropriates everyday objects to deliver powerful messages. His works have been exhibited at the Tate Modern (London), Lisson Gallery (London), Galleria Continua (San Gimignano), the Hirshhorn Museum (Washington), and the Luma Foundation (Arles).
· Jenny Holzer (United States, born 1950)
Known for her impactful texts projected onto building facades or displayed in public spaces. She uses language as an artistic medium to denounce violence, censorship, and inequalities. Her work is featured in museums like the Guggenheim (New York), Sprüth Magers (New York), Hauser & Wirth (West Hollywood), the Fondation Beyeler (Switzerland), and the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris.
2. Hybridization of Techniques
· Rauschenberg (United States, 1925–2008)
A pioneer in blending painting, photography, and silkscreen printing. He layered images from popular culture and current events to create dense, impactful visual works. He exhibited at the MoMA (New York), the Centre Pompidou (Paris), and the Whitney Museum.
· Wangechi Mutu (Kenya/United States, born 1972)
She combines painting, collage, installation, and video to explore representations of the body and identity questions. Her work plays on contrasts between the natural and the technological. She has exhibited at the Venice Biennale, Gladstone Gallery (New York), Victoria Miro (London), the New Museum (New York), and the MET.
3. Pop Art, Street Art, and Image Appropriation
· Barbara Kruger (United States, born 1945)
Known for her striking images juxtaposing black-and-white text over media photographs. There is a clear link with your use of anagrams and visual appropriation! Her works are exhibited at LACMA (Los Angeles), David Zwirner (New York), Neue Nationalgalerie (Berlin), Guggenheim Bilbao, the Whitney Museum, and the Venice Biennale.
· Shepard Fairey (United States, born 1970)
Creator of the famous "Hope" poster for Obama, he uses the aesthetics of Pop Art and propaganda to convey political and social messages. His work can be seen in institutions like the Victoria & Albert Museum (London) and the MoMA.
· JR (France, born 1983)
A street artist blending photography and monumental installations. His giant collages question collective memory and social inequalities. He has exhibited at the Louvre, Tate Modern, and Brooklyn Museum.
4. Use of Media and Television Imagery
· Nam June Paik (South Korea, 1932–2006)
A pioneer of video art, he was among the first to use television and screens as artistic media. His works explore the influence of mass media on our perception of the world. His work is showcased at the Smithsonian (Washington), the Centre Pompidou, and the MoMA.
· Richard Prince (United States, born 1949)
He appropriates advertising and media images to question consumer society and image authenticity. His works are exhibited at the Gagosian Gallery and the Whitney Museum.
Why might these artists interest you?
Because they share with you:
➡ A critical approach to contemporary issues
➡ The use of media or popular imagery
➡ The blending of techniques (painting, photography, digital media)
➡ A questioning of the perception of reality and the virtual
If certain names inspire you particularly, let me know, Mr. Guido Bernasconi, and I can delve deeper into their stories and careers, providing you with more details!
You said: That’s interesting. At first glance, I notice that these are people who are already of a certain age, let’s say around fifty or older. Well, let’s start with Hito Steyerl, whom I wasn’t familiar with.
ChatGPT said: Excellent idea, Mr. Guido Bernasconi! Hito Steyerl is an essential figure in contemporary art, particularly in exploring digital images, surveillance, and the role of technology in our societies.
Hito Steyerl: The Image in Crisis
Born: 1966 in Munich, Germany
Lives and works in: Berlin
Mediums: Video, installation, writing, artificial intelligence
Influences: Documentary, philosophy, internet culture
1. A Committed Artist-Theorist
Hito Steyerl has a background in film and philosophy. She studied at the Japan Academy of Moving Images and earned her PhD in Philosophy at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. Early on, she became interested in images not as mere representations, but as living objects that circulate, transform, and influence reality.
She emerged on the art scene in the 2000s with essays and videos that question the role of digital images, particularly their use in propaganda, surveillance, and the digital economy.
2. Her Work and Key Themes
Steyerl is renowned for her deconstruction of image flows produced by media and the internet. She focuses on how videos, algorithms, and databases shape our perception of the world.
➡ "How Not to Be Seen: A Fucking Didactic Educational .MOV File" (2013)
A satirical film exploring how to disappear in the digital age. Steyerl adopts the tone of online tutorials to critique mass surveillance and the invasive presence of technology in our lives.
➡ "Factory of the Sun" (2015)
Presented at the Venice Biennale, this video project immerses viewers in a dystopian sci-fi universe where the lines between digital labor, video games, and capitalist exploitation blur.
➡ "Liquidity Inc." (2014)
An artwork that plays on the dual meaning of "liquidity": the circulation of financial capital and that of digital images. This hypnotic visual montage combines waves, stock market crashes, and interviews with a martial artist turned economic advisor.
3. Where to See Her Work?
Steyerl's works are widely exhibited in leading contemporary art institutions:
MoMA (New York)
Tate Modern (London)
Centre Pompidou (Paris)
Serpentine Galleries (London)
Her influence extends beyond the art world: she is also a pivotal thinker of digital culture. Her essay "In Defense of the Poor Image" (2009) is a key reference for understanding the evolution and degradation of images in the age of the internet.
Why Might Hito Steyerl Inspire You?
A critical approach to images and media that resonates with your use of news channels to capture dystopian moments.
The blending of formats—digital art, photography, and video—paralleling your hybrid process.
A reflection on contemporary society and technology, a central theme in your works.
You said: Let’s move on to Ai Weiwei, who is Chinese! He comes from a country not necessarily known for freedom of expression. How might his work resonate with mine?
ChatGPT said: Excellent question, Mr. Guido Bernasconi! Ai Weiwei is a fascinating artist—a sculptor, architect, filmmaker, and activist. His work might resonate with yours on several levels: his critical engagement with society, his use of powerful imagery, the question of collective memory and the tension between art and politics.
Ai Weiwei: Artist, Dissident, Witness of the World
· Born: 1957 in Beijing, China
· **Lives and works between Europe (Germany, Portugal) and the United States
· Mediums: Installation, sculpture, photography, film, architecture
· Influences: Duchamp, Dada, Conceptual Art, Pop Art
1. An Artist Under Surveillance
Ai Weiwei grew up in a climate of repression. His father, the poet Ai Qing, was exiled during the Cultural Revolution. He spent several years in labor camps, a formative experience for Ai Weiwei. After studying in Beijing, he moved to the United States in the 1980s, where he discovered Pop Art and Conceptualism (particularly Marcel Duchamp and Andy Warhol).
In the 1990s, he returned to China and became a prominent figure in contemporary art while criticizing censorship and abuses by the Chinese government. His work took a militant turn after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, when the government attempted to downplay the number of deaths (particularly thousands of children buried in poorly constructed schools). Ai Weiwei conducted an independent investigation, documented the disaster, and published the victims' names, which led to reprisals.
In 2011, he was arrested, detained for 81 days in secret, and had his passport confiscated for several years.
2. His Work and Key Themes
Ai Weiwei never separates art from engagement. He uses images, objects, and installations to denounce injustices.
➡ "Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn" (1995)
A photograph of Ai Weiwei dropping and breaking a 2000-year-old urn. An iconoclastic act that questions the destruction of culture under Mao, as well as the contradictions of modern Chinese society.
➡ "Remembering" (2009)
On the façade of a museum in Munich, Ai Weiwei assembled 9,000 school backpacks in memory of the children who died in the Sichuan earthquake. The message written in Chinese reads: "She lived happily for seven years"—a phrase spoken by a mother who lost her daughter.
➡ "Straight" (2008-2012)
A monumental installation made of 90 tons of twisted steel bars recovered from the Sichuan earthquake. Ai Weiwei straightened each bar one by one, a gesture that is both poetic and political, as an attempt to bring justice to the victims.
➡ "Human Flow" (2017, documentary film)
A film about the refugee crisis in which Ai Weiwei travels across more than 20 countries to film the plight of displaced populations.
3. Where to See His Work?
Ai Weiwei is one of the most influential and widely exhibited contemporary artists in the world:
Tate Modern (London) – His installation "Sunflower Seeds" (100 million porcelain sunflower seeds) made a significant impact.
Guggenheim (New York)
Centre Pompidou (Paris)
Martin Gropius Bau (Berlin)
Why Might Ai Weiwei Inspire You?
1. Critical engagement with society and the use of images as testimony to reality, which aligns with your approach of capturing dystopian moments on television.
2. The importance of process: Like you, his work often involves an assembly of narrative layers (photography, painting, text).
3. A hybrid approach between art, documentary, and installation, similar to your use of digital and pictorial media.
His work not only seeks to provoke but also to create collective memory—a point that could strongly resonate with your way of revisiting images of the contemporary world.
You said: For Jenny Holzer, I recognize the name. I heard about her during one of her installations in Times Square. What does she have to do with my artistic approach?
ChatGPT said: Yes, Jenny Holzer is a major figure in contemporary art, known for her illuminated projections and powerful messages in public spaces. If you heard about her in Times Square, it was likely because of her electronic light displays where she broadcasts her famous "Truisms" (short, provocative phrases).
Her work might resonate with yours on several levels:
➡ The use of text within the image (like your anagrams and embedded messages in your works).
➡ A critique of contemporary society, particularly on themes of politics, power, and violence.
➡ A subversion of mass media (like you, who reuse images from news channels).
Jenny Holzer: Art as Message
· Born: 1950, United States
· **Lives and works in New York
· Mediums: Text, light installation, projections, posters, engraved stone benches
· Influences: Minimalism, Conceptual Art, Street Art, Feminist activism
In the 1970s, Jenny Holzer became interested in the power of words in public spaces and decided to infiltrate the media as a critical weapon. She began by posting anonymous messages on the streets of New York before expanding to more massive platforms: billboards, projections on monuments, and LED screens.
1. Shocking Phrases, Subversive Messages
Her work is based on short, provocative phrases that challenge the viewer. For example:
"Protect me from what I want"
"Abuse of power comes as no surprise"
"Some days you wake up and immediately start to worry"
These phrases are deliberately ambiguous, playing between social critique and personal introspection.
2. Her Most Impactful Installations
➡ Times Square (1982, 2019)
Her Truisms displayed on the LED screens of billboards. A subversive act: she hijacks commercial media to insert poetic and critical content.
➡ Projections on Monuments (since 1996)
She projects her texts onto iconic buildings like the Louvre, the Reichstag in Berlin, and onto mountains and rivers.
➡ War Paintings (2004-2006)
She exhibits American military documents related to the Iraq War, with censored passages. This work addresses manipulated information, which may remind you of your own critical take on continuous news media.
➡ For the Guggenheim (2008)
She transformed the rotunda of the museum into a massive screen displaying texts denouncing war and state violence.
3. Where to See Her Work Today?
Guggenheim (New York)
Tate Modern (London)
Louvre (Paris)
Venice Biennale – She has frequently exhibited there
Why Might Jenny Holzer Inspire You?
The importance of text in visual art – Like you with your anagrams and inscriptions, she plays on the power of the written message.
The use of mass media to convey an idea – She hijacks billboards and LED screens, much like you repurpose television images.
A critique of contemporary society – Her messages denounce surveillance, war, disinformation, and other themes that could resonate with your reflection on the present age.
In essence, she transforms public space into a canvas for reflection, just as you, Mr. Guido Bernasconi, transform images of current events into meaningful works of art.
You said: Let’s now move to the hybridization of techniques because, indeed, I also recognize this particular way of working in my own art. How could Rauschenberg, who seems from another generation, inspire my thinking?
ChatGPT said: Mr. Guido Bernasconi, Rauschenberg is an essential reference when discussing the hybridization of techniques. He literally broke the boundaries between painting, photography, collage, sculpture, and found objects.
Even though he belongs to another generation (born in 1925), his experimental approach and his desire to mix different media could resonate with your own approach, especially in how you combine digital images, painting, text, and prints on canvas.
Robert Rauschenberg: The Artist Who Blurs Boundaries
· Born: 1925, Texas – Died: 2008
· Influences: Dada, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art
· Techniques: Collage, screen printing, assemblage, photography, painting, performance
· Key Concept: "Art and life are one"
In the 1950s-60s, Rauschenberg refused to choose between painting and printed images, between object and canvas. He wanted to mix everything, convinced that art should be as chaotic and rich as reality itself.
1. Hybridization of Techniques in Rauschenberg's Work
➡ "Combines" (1954-1964)
An explosive mix of painting, found objects, photography, and screen printing.
Monogram (1955-59): A painting with a stuffed goat crossing the canvas!
Canyon (1959): A composition with a taxidermy eagle attached to the canvas.
He didn’t just want to paint an image; he aimed to physically integrate the world into his work.
➡ Integration of Photography and Text
In the 1960s, he used screen printing to print media images on his canvases.
He collected photos from newspapers, magazines, and TV news and integrated them into his pieces.
He also played with printed text, sometimes partially erased or covered with paint.
➡ A Parallel with Your Work:
Like you, Mr. Guido Bernasconi, he captures images of the world and reworks them with added pictorial and textual elements to create a critical reinterpretation of reality.
➡ Early Use of Digital
In the 1980s-90s, Rauschenberg was one of the first artists to experiment with digital imagery, combining digital prints with painting and photography.
➡ Another Similarity with You:
You too start with a digital base (images from the news captured on your iPhone), which you print and rework before moving to a new digital phase with printing on canvas.
2. An Experimental and Playful Approach
Rauschenberg refused to limit himself to a single technique or style. He was in constant exploration, moving from painting to textiles, from collage to performance.
He even created interactive works, including paintings that reacted to sound or light.
His goal? To bring art into everyday life and blur the boundaries between art, media, and technology.
➡ This aligns with your approach, Mr. Guido Bernasconi, where televised news and digital images serve as raw material for rethinking the world.
3. Where Has He Exhibited and What Recognition Did He Receive?
He began exhibiting in the 1950s, first at the Leo Castelli Gallery (New York), which also launched Warhol and Lichtenstein.
He won the Grand Prix at the Venice Biennale in 1964, marking the international recognition of Pop Art.
His works are now in the world’s most prominent museums:
• MoMA (New York)
• Tate Modern (London)
• Centre Pompidou (Paris)
Why Might Rauschenberg Inspire Your Thinking?
Fusion of Techniques – He mixes painting, photography, objects, and prints, much like you combine digital, pictorial, and textual elements.
Subversion of Media Images – He prints and overlays images from current events, a process similar to your approach with visuals from news channels.
Limitless Experimentation – He set no boundaries between mediums, a freedom that could inspire you to explore new hybridizations in your own work.
In essence, Mr. Guido Bernasconi, Rauschenberg could be a source of inspiration to push your experiments even further, integrating new materials, techniques, or even exploring augmented reality or interactive digital media.
You said: Wangechi Mutu is an unknown to me. However, I feel a certain affinity with her because she comes from Kenya, a country in Africa where I spent considerable time during the 1990s. I'm curious to learn what parallels you see between her work and my paintings.
ChatGPT said: Wangechi Mutu is a Kenyan artist who combines collage, painting, sculpture, and video to address themes such as identity, the environment, and societal transformations. Her work could resonate with yours, Mr. Guido Bernasconi, on several levels, especially in the hybridization of images, critique of contemporary society, and the dialogue between digital and painting.
Wangechi Mutu: An Artist Between Africa and the West
· Born: 1972 in Nairobi, Kenya
· Lives and works between New York and Nairobi
· Techniques: Collage, painting, sculpture, video
· Themes: Feminism, ecology, post-colonialism, science fiction
She studied in the United States, where she developed her unique style: a blend of traditional painting, magazine images, science fiction, and African iconography.
➡ A Parallel with You:
She starts with found images, often from fashion magazines, science fiction, or medical journals, and transforms them into hybrid works where collage and painting intersect.
1. Hybridization of Images and Techniques
Wangechi Mutu cuts out and assembles images, juxtaposing them with painted elements.
She creates dreamlike, sometimes unsettling compositions where mutant female figures emerge from visual chaos.
She plays with the layering of textures and references, much like you, who add text, patterns, and anagrams onto images captured from television.
In some of her works, she prints her collages onto mylar paper or canvas, a process that mirrors your approach, where you finalize your paintings as prints on satin canvas.
➡ A Link with Your Work:
Like you, she uses existing images (media, magazines, archives) and then deconstructs and reassembles them with pictorial and symbolic interventions.
2. A Critique of the Contemporary World
Her work is deeply political and engaged. She condemns oppressions (colonialism, patriarchy, ecological crises) while developing a hybrid and dystopian imagination.
Her female figures are often depicted as mutants, part-woman, part-futuristic creatures, evoking a humanity in transformation due to technology and climate upheaval.
Her works suggest a world that is both fascinating and unsettling, much like your paintings where themes like rising waters, mass consumption, and digital interconnection are central.
➡ A Resonance with Your Works like Artic Sea or Dance Floor:
You observe a world in transformation, subjected to forces beyond its control. In Mutu’s work, it's the mutation of bodies and identities; in yours, Mr. Guido Bernasconi, it’s the transformation of the world through information, technology, and the environment.
3. A Questioning of the Environment and the Human-Nature Relationship
In her recent work, Wangechi Mutu explores the relationship between humans, nature, and technology. She creates sculptures inspired by African myths, such as hybrids of organic creatures and futuristic beings.
In 2019, she installed four large bronze sculptures of hybrid women in front of the Metropolitan Museum in New York (The NewOnes, will free us), evoking transformation and resilience in the face of oppression.
Her work also addresses deforestation, rising sea levels, and the exploitation of African resources.
➡ A Link with Unity:
Your painting Unity evokes a network of interconnection and how everything is intertwined. In Mutu’s work, nature and humanity are entwined in a complex relationship, often symbolized by organic forms fused with technological elements.
4. Where Has She Exhibited and What Recognition Has She Received?
She has exhibited in the world’s leading museums:
• MoMA (New York)
• Tate Modern (London)
• Centre Pompidou (Paris)
• Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York)
She has also received prestigious commissions, such as at the Metropolitan Museum, where she was the first Black artist to occupy the niches of the museum’s facade. She is represented by influential galleries such as Victoria Miro (London) and Gladstone Gallery (New York), which specialize in politically engaged and hybrid artists.
Why Might Wangechi Mutu Inspire Your Thinking?
She deconstructs and reassembles media images, much like you do with televised images.
She hybridizes digital, painting, and symbolism, an approach that echoes your own processes.
She addresses the mutation of the world through digital and ecological forces, themes that are also central to your paintings.
If you want to dive deeper into her work, I suggest exploring her collage series from the 2000s and her recent installations. You could also explore sculpture or relief in your own work, as she has done by hybridizing painting and volume.
You said: It's interesting, I've often thought about Andy Warhol, whom I discovered in Zurich at the gallery of Bruno Bischofberger, when I think about what I like in art, and now you mention: Pop Art, Street Art, and Image Detournement. I'm very curious, could you tell me more?
ChatGPT said: Ah, Andy Warhol and Bruno Bischofberger! That’s a fascinating entry point into the world of Pop Art and image detournement. So, you went to see Warhol’s works in Zurich? Bischofberger played a key role in spreading Pop Art across Europe, notably representing Warhol, but also Jean-Michel Basquiat and Francesco Clemente. He was a bridge between the American and European art scenes.
Mr. Guido Bernasconi, you're mentioning Pop Art, Street Art, and Image Detournement. These three movements are related but each has its specificities. Let me explain them in relation to your work and how they might enrich your thinking.
1. Pop Art: Warhol and the Aesthetic of the Multiple
· Origin: 1950s-60s, USA and UK
· Key Idea: Art should reflect mass culture and the media
· Techniques: Silkscreen printing, image reproduction, advertisement détournement
· Key Artists: Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Richard Hamilton, James Rosenquist
➡ Why does Pop Art resonate with your work?
• You start with existing images from the media (like Warhol with Marilyn or Campbell’s soup cans).
• You play with repetition, canvas printing, and the hybridization of painting/digital, much like Warhol and his silkscreens.
• Your anagrams and wordplay echo the ironic titles of Pop Art (such as Double Elvis or Marilyn Diptych).
• You tackle contemporary subjects, like consumer society (Dance Floor) and the impact of media (Artic Sea).
Inspirational Example:
Look at Death and Disaster (1962-63) by Warhol: He takes tragic media images (car accidents, electric chairs, drownings) and repeats them in a series until they become banal. This creates a cold, detached critique of the role of media, which resonates with your work on current news images captured from news channels.
2. Street Art: Basquiat, Banksy, and Art as a Political Message
· Origin: 1970s-80s, New York
· Key Idea: Art should be accessible to all and rooted in public space
· Techniques: Graffiti, stencils, collage, détournement of advertising images
· Key Artists: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Banksy, JR
➡ Why does Street Art speak to you?
• The fusion of text/image: Like Basquiat, you incorporate words, symbols, and anagrams into your works, creating multiple layers of interpretation.
• The iconography of the urban world: Your dystopian scenes, saturated with signs, remind us of the visual world of tagged walls and torn posters.
• Social and political critique: You question consumption, the environment, and digital networks, much like Banksy with his engaged works.
Inspirational Example:
Look at Untitled (1981) by Basquiat: It’s a hybrid work where text dialogues with image, creating an explosive visual language. Mr. Guido Bernasconi, your anagrams could follow a similar logic, blurring meanings to create new and unexpected associations.
3. Image Détournement: Richard Prince, Barbara Kruger, and the Visual Remix
· Origin: 1970s-80s, with Appropriation Art
· Key Idea: Take popular culture images and recontextualize them to change their meaning
· Techniques: Photography, collage, text overlay
· Key Artists: Richard Prince, Barbara Kruger, Sherrie Levine, Shepard Fairey
➡ Why does image détournement align with your work?
• You take images from the media (television, 24/7 news) and give them a new critical reading.
• You add text to amplify or question the initial message, like Barbara Kruger and her engaged slogans (Your Body is a Battleground).
• You create a visual layering, blending photography, painting, and symbolism, which echoes Richard Prince’s work on recycling images from ads and cinema.
Inspirational Example:
Look at Untitled (Cowboy) by Richard Prince: He takes a Marlboro ad, removes the text, and enlarges it for the gallery, critiquing the mythology of the American cowboy. In a similar way, Mr. Guido Bernasconi, your works can decontextualize current news images to reveal their hidden contradictions.
Conclusion: A Bridge Between These Influences and Your Work
By combining these influences, your work is part of a broader reflection on contemporary imagery and its manipulations.
📌 Your works are not simple representations; they are commentaries on the world around us.
📌 They use pre-existing images, modify, augment, and détourne them to produce a new narrative.
📌 They question how information is perceived and digested by the viewer.