DALL-E, Kramer, Lisa & Dylan - Monkey Business, Too : Rise of the Planet of the AIs - Exhibitionmfc-michèle didier | Paris - Brussels - PARIS
Michèle Didier & Specific Object are delighted to present at the gallery:
Monkey Business, Too : Rise of the Planet of the AIs.
Curated by David Platzker, this exhibition explores the missing link and unexpected connections between Action Painting, chimpanzee artists, and artificial intelligence platforms (AI). The project raises fundamental questions about authorship, artistic consciousness, and the value we attribute to it, as well as the impact of new creative tools in contemporary art. An ironic and profound reflection on the ghosts in the machine, whether furry or coded.
Starting from a questioning of his commitment to conceptual art, Platzker turns to Action Painting and in particular to a work entitled One: Number 31, 1950 by Jackson Pollock, and... asks himself:
Can we distinguish a gestural painting — Action Painting — from one made by a monkey or a machine?
What gives a work its artistic value?
Intention, mastery, or simply the perception we have of it?
What place remains for humans in creation?
The exhibition juxtaposes:
Documents about Jackson Pollock such as: Life Magazine, August 8, 1949; Vogue, Incorporating Vanity Fair, 1951; Life Magazine, Vol. 47, No. 19, 1959; and a series of press clippings from the popular press of his time.
Vintage black-and-white press photographs from the 20th century of chimpanzee artists in action, such as:
Beauty; Betsy; Bimbo; Christine; Congo; Freida; Homer; Judy; J. Fred Muggs; Sally; Duke of Wellington; Zippy and many other chimpanzees trying their hand at Action Painting.
But also:
Christine: The Baby Chimp by Lilo Hess, published in 1954; MAD Magazine, No. 38, 1958; a cover painted by Congo for S.M.S., No. 5, 1968.
What a Way to Go from 1964, a film by J. Lee Thompson starring Shirley MacLaine, Paul Newman, Robert Mitchum, Dean Martin, and Gene Kelly.
An original painting by Kramer and a four-handed work by Lisa & Dylan.
Four paintings generated by DALL-E: Elaine de Kooning, Franz Kline, Lee Krasner, and Jackson Pollock.
The exhibition will run from September 6 to December 20, 2025.
The gallery is open by appointment Thursday through Saturday from 2 to 6 p.m.
Image : What a Way to Go, excerpt from film by J. Lee Thompson with: Shirley MacLaine ; Paul Newman ; Robert Mitchum ; Dean Martin ; Gene Kelly, 1964.
Michèle Didier & Specific Object are delighted to present at the gallery:
Monkey Business, Too : Rise of the Planet of the AIs.
Curated by David Platzker, this exhibition explores the missing link and unexpected connections between Action Painting, chimpanzee artists, and artificial intelligence platforms (AI). The project raises fundamental questions about authorship, artistic consciousness, and the value we attribute to it, as well as the impact of new creative tools in contemporary art. An ironic and profound reflection on the ghosts in the machine, whether furry or coded.
Starting from a questioning of his commitment to conceptual art, Platzker turns to Action Painting and in particular to a work entitled One: Number 31, 1950 by Jackson Pollock, and... asks himself:
Can we distinguish a gestural painting — Action Painting — from one made by a monkey or a machine?
What gives a work its artistic value?
Intention, mastery, or simply the perception we have of it?
What place remains for humans in creation?
The exhibition juxtaposes:
Documents about Jackson Pollock such as: Life Magazine, August 8, 1949; Vogue, Incorporating Vanity Fair, 1951; Life Magazine, Vol. 47, No. 19, 1959; and a series of press clippings from the popular press of his time.
Vintage black-and-white press photographs from the 20th century of chimpanzee artists in action, such as:
Beauty; Betsy; Bimbo; Christine; Congo; Freida; Homer; Judy; J. Fred Muggs; Sally; Duke of Wellington; Zippy and many other chimpanzees trying their hand at Action Painting.
But also:
Christine: The Baby Chimp by Lilo Hess, published in 1954; MAD Magazine, No. 38, 1958; a cover painted by Congo for S.M.S., No. 5, 1968.
What a Way to Go from 1964, a film by J. Lee Thompson starring Shirley MacLaine, Paul Newman, Robert Mitchum, Dean Martin, and Gene Kelly.
An original painting by Kramer and a four-handed work by Lisa & Dylan.
Four paintings generated by DALL-E: Elaine de Kooning, Franz Kline, Lee Krasner, and Jackson Pollock.
The exhibition will run from September 6 to December 20, 2025.
The gallery is open by appointment Thursday through Saturday from 2 to 6 p.m.
Image : What a Way to Go, excerpt from film by J. Lee Thompson with: Shirley MacLaine ; Paul Newman ; Robert Mitchum ; Dean Martin ; Gene Kelly, 1964.
Exposed artworks
UV Printing on linen canvas
19.69 x 19.69 in ( 50 x 50 cm )
UV Printing on linen canvas
19.69 x 19.69 in ( 50 x 50 cm )
UV Printing on linen canvas
19.69 x 19.69 in ( 50 x 50 cm )
UV Printing on linen canvas
19.69 x 19.69 in ( 50 x 50 cm )
Oil on canvas
8.66 x 11.81 in ( 22,86 x 30,48 cm )
Oil on canvas
8.66 x 11.81 in ( 22,86 x 30,48 cm )