What does truth look like in the AI age?
That’s one of the pressing questions asked by British tamil artist Christopher Kulendran Thomas in his video installation The Finesse, one of the works featured in Data Dreams: Art adn AI at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in Sydney.
The Finesse is an immersive work that integrates documentary footage with AI-generated elements. Kim Kardashian’s avatar even makes a surprise appearance.
Kulendran Thomas first used AI-synthesised elements, including deepfake characters, in his 2019 installation Being Human, currently on show at MOMA in New York.(Supplied: MCA/Joseph Kadow)
Kulendran Thomas – whose family emigrated to the UK from Sri Lanka when he was a child to escape the civil war – deliberately renders what is real and what is fake as indistinguishable to the viewer.
“There are all different kinds of footage in this work – there’s genuine propaganda footage, there’s reconstructed footage, there’s stuff I’ve shot, there’s stuff that’s continually scraped live from social media, there’s stuff that’s generated, and it’s never clear exactly what is what,” he tells ABC Arts.
“You have to keep asking yourself these questions about what you’re looking at.”
With AI at the center of so many conversations, Anna Davis – one of three MCA curators who worked on Data Dreams – says it feels like the right time to examine how artists are engaging with the technology in their work.
“It’s part of the contemporary conversation, and artists are not only a key part of that conversation, but they’re also at the forefront of reshaping the field in many ways,” Davis says.”It’s been an critically important area to explore for a variety of reasons; not only about how it is indeed changing artistic practice, but also the kinds of questions it raises about creativity and art itself.”
Sri Lanka’s civil war on stage
Table of Contents
Shakthidharan’s acclaimed debut play broke silences in his home and in his community and his latest contends with more recent, painful history.
But other video elements in the installation tell a different narrative: an alternate reality where the Tamil people won their independence.
This lost history is “the story of a nation that didn’t get to be a state”, Kulendran Thomas says.
The question of who gets to write history is an important one for Tamil people, for whom truth and history are contested concepts.
“My generation grew up in the diaspora learning about a liberation movement back home that was then labelled a terrorist organisation,” he says.
“You have to process these different versions of the same history.”
in The Finesse, Kulendran Thomas presents history as “a fiction … often concocted by nation states, to tell the story of their existence”.
“I wanted to make something that raises all kinds of questions about how these past narratives are written,” he says.
A room with a screen showing a young Tamil woman in military attire; a large sculpture is on the left. “In all of my work, I use AI tools as exactly that, as tools to do things that I wouldn’t otherwise be able to do,” Kulendran Thomas says. (Supplied: MCA/Hamish McIntosh)
Curator Anna Davis says viewers don’t need to be familiar with Sri Lanka’s recent history to comprehend the power of the work.
“Christopher’s work … brings you into this destabilised state between fiction and reality that we are all living in at the moment,” she says.
Kim Kardashian as Philosophical Narrator in AI-Driven Artwork
An artist is using an AI-powered system to create a video work with a continually auto-edited narrative, scraping content live from social media. the result, according to artist Kulendran Thomas, is an “uncanny effect where you see something in my work that you might later see trending in your feed.”
Central to the artwork is an avatar of Kim Kardashian, trained with a language model based on philosophical texts. “These parts of the film are narrated differently every time,” Thomas explains,noting the avatar frequently enough generates insights “way more insightful and profound than anything I’ve written for the film.”
This constant evolution creates a sense of fluctuating truth, challenging fixed perspectives. “It’s different depending on where you see it in the space… It’s never the same twice. It’s always changing,” Thomas says. “In a way, this work is a reflection on how stories are told and how empires fix particular narratives that come to be understood as reality.”
The work, reflecting a Tamil cultural skepticism towards constructed narratives, is a collaboration and critique of storytelling itself. Kulendran Thomas is one of 10 artists…
“Data Dreams: Art and AI” Exhibition Explores the Future of Artificial Intelligence Through artistic Expression
The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in Sydney is currently hosting “Data Dreams: Art and AI,” an exhibition showcasing how artists are engaging with and reimagining the possibilities of artificial intelligence. Running until April 27, 2026, the exhibition aims to move beyond polarized debates surrounding AI and foster new perspectives on its potential impact on our lives. https://www.mca.com.au/exhibitions/data-dreams/
A New Lens on AI
The exhibition,part of the Sydney International art Series 2025-26,features works from a diverse range of artists exploring the intersection of art and artificial intelligence. MCA Director Suzanne Davis emphasizes the unique role artists play in shaping our understanding of complex technologies like AI.
“Artists open up new ways of thinking about artificial intelligence that allows you to escape the very polarised opinions that we commonly hear,” davis stated. She hopes the exhibition will encourage visitors to ask new questions and consider previously unseen possibilities for how AI might integrate into the future.
Why Art Matters in the Age of AI
The increasing prevalence of AI in daily life – from virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa to complex algorithms powering social media and financial markets – has sparked both excitement and concern. Common anxieties revolve around job displacement, algorithmic bias, and the potential for misuse.
Though, “Data Dreams” suggests that artistic exploration can offer a crucial counterpoint to these anxieties. By presenting AI not as a purely technical or utilitarian force,but as a medium for creative expression,the exhibition invites viewers to contemplate its broader implications. This approach allows for a more nuanced understanding of AI,moving beyond simple narratives of utopia or dystopia.
What to Expect at the Exhibition
The exhibition features a variety of artistic mediums, likely including (though not explicitly detailed in the source) interactive installations, digital art, and perhaps even works created by AI itself. The focus is on experiential learning,encouraging visitors to actively engage with the artwork and form their own interpretations.
The exhibition’s goal isn’t to provide definitive answers about AI, but rather to stimulate critical thinking and open dialog. Davis explains that the artworks “offer these experiences that I hope will allow people to ask new kinds of questions about artificial intelligence in a way that hopefully allows them to feel that they have understood something new or seen a new potential for how this may become part of our lives in the future.”
Key Takeaways
* Art as a Catalyst for thought: The exhibition demonstrates how art can provide a unique and valuable outlook on complex technological issues like AI.
* Beyond Polarization: “Data Dreams” aims to move beyond the frequently enough-polarized debates surrounding AI, fostering a more nuanced understanding.
* Experiential Learning: The exhibition encourages active engagement with the artwork, promoting critical thinking and personal interpretation.
* Future-Focused: The exhibition prompts visitors to consider the potential future impact of AI on society and daily life.
“Data dreams: Art and AI” offers a timely and thought-provoking exploration of one of the most transformative technologies of our time. By showcasing the creative potential of AI through the lens of art, the exhibition encourages a more informed and imaginative conversation about its future. As AI continues to evolve,exhibitions like this will be crucial in shaping public understanding and ensuring its responsible development.
Related reading