Over the years, art has found itself changing with the times, often reflecting the generational change that comes along with it.

Let us take ourselves back, as far back as when we as humans could barely even speak, in an era when humans had just discovered the basic tools to survive in the open. Can you imagine yourselves huddled inside caves at night, watching as others started to use crushed berries and animal blood to paint a picture of everything you’d encountered in the wild on the cave’s walls?

Or perhaps we should move ourselves to a merrier time, during the Renaissance period, when new advancements in technology made life more bearable, enabling the arts to flourish. Imagine witnessing the unveiling of David by Michelangelo, a glorious marble sculpture that towered over all. Each bit of it was chipped to perfection, giving it a nearly lifelike appearance.

A RENAISSANCE MASTERPIECE Michelangelo’s David stands tall at 5.17 meters (17 feet). It is currently on display at the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, Italy

Fast forward to today, the art industry is confronted with a disruptive innovation—the creation of art by means of artificial intelligence (A.I.). It has caused a wide debate among the community as many ponder if A.I. art could even be considered true art.

To understand A.I. art, let us first take a look at the process of creating it. To create A.I. art, users make use of programs, such as Stable Diffusion, and type prompts to create an image based on the text entered. Utilizing only the information provided through the prompts, the program starts to create an image using pictures and artworks that have been fed into its system to use as a reference. Such a process has attracted an influx of users, typing away with their little prompts, creating new works at a simple press of a button. Certainly, there is an attractive notion of using A.I. to speed up the process, giving users a chance to create works they could only ever dream of.

While harmless in theory, A.I. art has begun to cause a stir in the industry.

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With its shortcut process of creating imagery through simple text prompts, what’s the need for live artists? A recent example is how Disney made use of A.I. to create the intro for its latest Marvel series Secret Invasion. Rather than having a team of visual artists and video editors create a captivating intro sequence, Marvel has “cheated” the process by having A.I. do all the work, causing many to voice their fears online that A.I. could soon replace humans in the creative field. Many artists have also decried A.I. art programs for plagiarizing their work. After all, most A.I. devices use whatever is fed into their system, meaning anyone can use a notable artist’s work as a prompt to create carbon copies and pass it off as their own.

Locally, the art industry has begun to play around the idea of how to address the A.I. art situation. With the upcoming Modern and Contemporary Art Festival (MoCAF), one of the programs, MoCAF Dialogues, will have guest speakers discussing A.I. and crypto art, forgery and certificates of authenticity for art, and many other topics involving contemporary art.

“I really think there’s a real chance here to integrate the best features of technology,” says MoCAF chairman Ricky Francisco, sharing his insights on the matter. At the art museum Fundacion Sansó, he says technology helps stave off art forgery. “If we could document all of the works of Mr. Sansó, whom we represent at Fundacion Sansó, his art legacy, what we’re trying to preserve, if we could put that in the blockchain, then all of the providences will be preserved with caution every time the artwork transfers,” he explains.

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While A.I. art is an intriguing discussion, there’s also talk in the industry about how to pave the way for newer artists.

Much of the exhibits at MoCAF are centered on the youth, committed as it is to transforming the next generation’s appreciation of the arts. Building up to the main MoCAF exhibit at the end of July, a number of pocket events every Saturday in July have been taking place to attract newcomers to the scene. The first two weeks already gave us a taste of what's to come with the MoCAF Art Bazaar at XCEPTION in Legazpi Village, Makati, and the MoCAF Painting Workshop that took place at the Art Caravan in BGC. Those who enjoy making prints can look forward to the MoCAF Printmaking Workshop at Commune in Poblacion, Makati on July 15.

“This 2023, we intend to expand MoCAF by having different events outside the festival walls,” says Coleen Wong, festival director. “We are still standing by the community but reaching out to a wider range of younger audiences. It gives an opportunity to not just empower and inspire the youth but also give a chance for the ever-growing art community to flourish.”

A TASTE OF WHAT’S TO COME Artworks, selected by MoCAF festival director Coleen Wong, on display give a preview of what awaits at MoCAF 2023

MoCAF will also present special exhibits that will place prominent and rising figures of Philippine contemporary art in the spotlight. Artists like Katrina Cuenca, Daniel Dela Cruz, and Michael Cacnio will have exclusively made pieces for the festival. MoCAF Discoveries, a special exhibition dedicated to the country’s most promising creatives, will also return with 24 brand-new artists and 16 returning from last year’s roster. Also expected at the event are premier local and international art galleries and institutions. MoCAF welcomes international art galleries from Japan, Malaysia, and Indonesia such as YOD TOKYO & Editions, Gallery Kogure, Kobayashi Gallery, Artemis Art, and Srisasanti Syndicate.

MoCAF will run from July 28 to 30 at The Grand Ballroom, Fairmont Makati. www.mocaf.net