Illusionaries, a newish video arts venue in Canary Wharf, has opened its second exhibition of computer generated art presented in four rooms.
Created by the artist, Markos Kay, it’s essentially a collection of short video clips of fantastical AI-generated creatures that pulse on the screen in a manner not unlike a video of the Mandelbrot set.
Video art is one of those formats that either leaves you stunned in amazement or leaves you cold, and candidly, this display veers towards the cold, as while the images are visually stunning, there’s little really to say about them.
There are lots of alien creatures, but after you’ve seen a few, and even though each of them is very different, nonetheless, they start to have a slight air of sameness about them. The animal appears, a bit of movement, and on to the next one.
A mirrored room is more interesting in that it’s the same concept, but the animals look more like jellyfish and other marine animals — albeit all AI generated by the artist.
The rest is very similar.
Unlike the previous exhibition, you don’t have to stay for the whole loop to complete, so you can wander between the rooms through a light filled corridor.
If this had been shown a couple of years ago, it would have been amazing, but the huge increase in computer generated images in the past year or so that look very similar to this does make it hard to justify the price being charged to visit.
If you don’t mind the crowds and lack of timetable of what is being shown, then the Outernet next to Tottenham Court Road tube station is just as impressive and is free of charge.
If you want a much quieter experience, then this might be more your sort of thing.
The video exhibition, Latent Spaces is at Illusionaries in Canary Wharf, above the Elizabeth line station until Christmas.
Tickets can be booked in advance from here.
Adults: £24 | Students: £17 | Children (3-14): £16
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