A Nation Reimagined: Es Devlin’s AI-Driven Collective Portrait at the National Portrait Gallery

Es Devlin, the visionary artist behind the dreamlike visual worlds for icons like Beyoncé and Adele, is turning her creative lens toward the collective identity of the United Kingdom. In a groundbreaking new installation titled “A National Portrait for the National Portrait Gallery,” Devlin is moving away from the traditional subjects of portraiture—monarchs, politicians, and celebrities—to focus on the faces of ordinary people.

Developed in collaboration with Google Arts & Culture Lab, this evolving digital artwork seeks to find unity in an increasingly atomised nation. By blending human observation with cutting-edge technology, the project invites the public to become “co-authors” of a living portrait of Britain.

From Individual Selfies to a Collective Identity

The installation is designed to address a modern sense of disconnection. At a time when society can feel splintered by political tension and algorithmic distraction, Devlin’s work offers a “quietly radical hope” through the concept of coexistence. The installation features a constantly evolving and revolving carousel of portraits projected onto a framed screen.

Rather than static images, the display presents a moving sequence of digital sketches. These portraits appear to be constantly redrawing themselves, with faces hovering at the surface before dissolving and folding into one another. The visual effect is described as strangely intimate, resembling the experience of catching fragments of people as they pass through a crowd.

The Intersection of Art and AI: How It Works

The project represents the culmination of three years of collaborative AI research. The technical process bridges the gap between traditional fine art and modern machine learning:

• The Input: Every adult in the United Kingdom—whether a citizen or a visitor—is invited to participate by uploading a selfie.
• The Transformation: Using Google Gemini’s image model, these selfies are transformed into digital portraits.
• The Aesthetic: The AI renders the images in Devlin’s signature “smoky charcoal-and-chalk style,” ensuring the digital output maintains the texture of her physical drawings.
• The Animation: The resulting portraits are layered with digital animation to create a seamless, shifting sequence of faces that resolve and dissolve in an expanding loop.

While the technology enables the scale of the project, Devlin emphasizes that the digital work stems from her own “hours of tender human observation.” She encourages participants to “continue to be present to one another” and to “leave traces” of their encounters, much like traditional portrait artists have done for centuries.

How to Participate

The installation is not merely a passive viewing experience; it is a participatory event. There are several ways for the public to engage with the work:

1. Digital Contribution

Anyone in the UK can participate by uploading a selfie to the dedicated project website. Once processed, your face becomes part of the evolving collective artwork displayed at the Gallery.

2. Physical Drawing Events

To honor the physical roots of portraiture, Devlin will lead select drawing events at the National Portrait Gallery. These sessions allow participants to engage in the traditional process of sketching and observation.

3. Remote Learning

For those unable to attend in person, a step-by-step drawing class is available via the Google Arts & Culture project website, allowing for a more hands-on connection to Devlin’s stylistic approach.

Key Exhibition Details

As the installation continues through October 2026, it stands as a profound experiment in how technology can be used not to isolate us, but to acknowledge our shared presence in the national discourse.