Yvonne Todd. Photo: Colin Belfit
Yvonne Todd
PROJECT
With this new work, photographer Yvonne Todd deviated from her usual practice of studio portrait photography to create 897 AI-generated images. Over many months Todd fed the AI image-making program Midjourney lengthy and specific prompts about teeth, hair texture and facial expressions. Using the program Topaz, Todd then added detail to the images, enhancing realism to the point that the ‘portraits’ were ultimately designed and redesigned hundreds of times. Composed of thirteen distinct ‘types’ of people, the installation echoes the way that AI collects data to inform its outputs, appearing like a spreadsheet of images illustrating each type in numerous ways. Viewed together, the people-like figures mimic AI imagery as we currently consume it: randomly, without context and often in large quantities.
The acquisition of this artist’s work is supported by John Higgins AO & Jodie Maunder. This project is proudly supported by Telstra.
ABOUT
Photographer Yvonne Todd stages heightened, unnerving and exaggerated female archetypes in carefully staged studio shoots, often using large-format film. Todd’s major solo exhibitions include at City Gallery Wellington (New Zealand); the Centre for Contemporary Photography, Melbourne (Australia); and Dunedin Public Art Gallery (New Zealand). Todd’s work has been in numerous international exhibitions, including at Zacheta National Gallery of Art, Warsaw (Poland); Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius, (Lithuania); and Auckland Art Gallery (New Zealand), as well as international festivals including the Edinburgh Art Festival (Scotland); Sydney Biennale (Australia); and the Busan Biennale (South Korea). Her work is held in public collections including the National Gallery of Victoria (Australia); Auckland City Art Gallery, Toi o Tāmaki (New Zealand); Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū (New Zealand); the University of Auckland (New Zealand); the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney (Australia); and Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane (Australia).