Anatomy of Non-Fact. Chapter 1: AI Hyperrealism

“AI Hyperrealism” is the first chapter of the work “Anatomy of Non-Fact,” which premiered at the Ars Electronica Festival in 2024. This chapter focuses on the image of a fake Pope Francis wearing a Balenciaga jacket—a figure that captured the public’s attention and imagination during the so-called ‘AI boom’ of 2023. The video explores how AI-generated images are produced, the visual language of journalism, and the digital reproduction of human likeness.

The Balenciaga Pope delivers a monologue about the nature of truth, questioning the reliability of images and traditional sources of authority. At a time of growing concern about how synthetic images can lead to mass misinformation, the work invites us to reconsider our relationship with photography and its role in visual culture. Within the video, old and new definitions coexist, offering fresh perspectives on how we understand AI-generated images, while proposing new terms to describe the phenomena of misinformation in the digital age.

Year Created: 2024
Country: Germany/Poland
Medium: Video Installation (Video, 4K single channel with sound & 3 small sculptural pieces)
Duration: 17 min 31 sec

* The work is presented within the framework of the European Digital Deal project, co-funded by the European Union’s “Creative Europe” program.