AUTOMATA
Automata is a collaboration with collective consciousness, a journey into the strange and wondrous interaction of human perception and technology by artist Muvindu Binoy. The series unfolds like a fever dream, brimming with tropical abundance where discordant fragments; vintage photographs, strings of text and assorted cultural memorabilia are layered and assembled into otherworldly vistas. Embracing the surrealist tradition, Binoy probes and provokes, presenting visual conundrums that trace the shifts between reality and imagined trajectories. Binoy investigates perception in a world where technology rapidly advances, resulting in a visual surplus that reflects the overwhelming nature of digital culture.
Binoy’s work engages in a complex dialogue with South Asian cultural heritage, turning an introspective and "oriental" gaze inwards. Binoy endeavors to explore both the allure and the contradictions inherent in the commodification of South Asian identity and aesthetics. The artist chooses to use keywords like 'Ceylon' and 'Sri Lanka' in the generative process to generate imagery that closely aligns with the cultural context that is most familiar and generates imagery that reflects the region’s iconography. The artist instinctively responds to the generative process, doctoring the image with layers of imagery that result in a disordered whole. The artist instinctively responds to the generative process, doctoring the image with layers of imagery that result in a disordered whole. This intuitive intervention creates a dynamic tension between intent and flow, as the artist’s approach disrupts the boundaries of the generated image. The resulting works bear a distinct signature, where the collaborative process results in a visually arresting final composition.
In Digital Dreams and Analog Nightmares, Muvindu Binoy constructs a hypnotic visage where layers of dynamic imagery emerge from the contours of a head, the composition overflows with tropical flora and motifs of classical architecture, spilling forth in a chaotic balanced excess. In the Xe/Xem series, posed models engage the viewer with an unflinching gaze, their expressions partially obscured by ethereal veils or drapings. Binoy generates imagery that examines themes of androgyny and gender presentation, portraying identities that break free from rigid binaries to embrace fluidity and multiplicity. The veils, inhibiting and revealing in equal measure, represent the layered complexity of selfhoods in continuous flux. This examination takes place against the emergence of new technologies, raising questions on perceptions of gender, individuality, and authenticity in a society increasingly engaged through social media and online discourse.
Rather than play catch-up with advancements that occur in the fast-paced field of generative AI, the artist intends to critically examine the technology's intrinsic limits and the broader implications for cultural representation. Binoy's critique and satire are evident in his approach to the visuals he creates. His work embraces the "AI-ness" rather than attempting to minimise it. The focus is directed towards the way AI affects our perceptions of culture, identity, and authenticity by purposefully avoiding correcting anatomical defects or the incorporation of non-South Asian imagery. Automata invites us to confront the complexities of the digital age, where identity and perception are inextricably intertwined. Embracing excess, imperfections and wit, Binoy challenges us to rethink authenticity and understanding within the continuous flux.
