‘Lope’ by Jenni Pasanen

Introducing Jenni Pasanen, a rising digital artist who is gaining recognition for her innovative fusion of AI with her imagination, crafting dreamy artworks. She has recently unveiled her first long-form AI collection, ‘Lope’ on Kate Vass Galerie’s digital extension, K011.

Jenni Pasanen, a Finnish artist with a background in graphic design, spent 13 years honing her skills in branding and marketing as a designer and animator. Concurrently, Pasanen cultivated her passion for art, holding on to her aspiration to become a full-time artist. This dream started to become a reality in 2020 when she began to explore the realm of cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

Around this time, Pasanen discovered Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) and AI art. Intrigued by the limitless creative possibilities offered by these technologies, she began combining AI with digital painting. To Pasanen, art is a deeply personal form of self-expression. Her philosophy embraces the use of AI as a tool as well as a source of inspiration, a muse. She believes that AI allows her to delve into the depths of her imagination and serves as an extension of her creativity.

Throughout her artistic journey, Pasanen has experimented with a myriad of mediums, from acrylic painting and clay sculpting to sewing and animation, and has even dabbled in coding and 3D. Nevertheless, it is to digital painting that she consistently gravitates. Her artistic process is best described as constructing a layered cake. She adds one element atop another, creating a zigzag pattern of creativity. Pasanen primarily uses Photoshop and AI software, such as Artbreeder and Stable Diffusion in her creative process. She takes delight in the element of surprise that emerges from utilizing tools beyond her complete control. The excitement of this unpredictability is intensified as she blends it with her other techniques, which range from 3D to photography.

Pasanen's art is profoundly inspired by the world around her, from minute natural elements like twigs and ants to casual conversations. Her portfolio often showcases fantastical hybrid creatures composed of flower petals, feathers, or smoke, infusing her work with a sense of whimsy and fantasy. 

Lope

'Lope' is Jenni Pasanen's first long-form generative AI collection, an exploration of humans as emotional animals. 'Lope' invites us to consider the interplay between the rational and the emotional, the scripted and the spontaneous. This collection symbolizes the smooth, effortless stride of an animal in the physical world, reflecting the seamless and graceful dance between AI and human imagination. As AI lacks the inherent emotional depth, being bound by programming and data inputs, and human creativity is often confined by personal experiences and cognitive capabilities, 'Lope' invites audiences to free exploration and creative expression, merging human & machine skills.

In this context, 'lope' is a powerful symbol of transcending existing boundaries and embracing curiosity, unlocking new possibilities for the artist herself. Departing from her customary practice of creating digital drawings using Artbreeder, AI, and Photoshop, Jenni embarks on a new chapter characterized by the pursuit of more surprise through an AI system beyond her ordinary control.

The process of creating 'Lope' differs from Pasanen's typical method: usually, she creates AI shapes that she combines with digital painting. However, in this project, she began with digital work, which was then taught to the AI to create a model that produces the final result.

With 'Lope' she feeds these painted canvases into a machine that takes apart every pixel and creates something new from the pieces. Do these works offer a glimpse of past memories appearing through the canvas? Do they represent something new evolving from the old or are they an echo reflecting the artist's identity? Pasanen enjoys challenging common viewpoints with thought-provoking questions.

By adopting the idea of 'Lope' we are inspired to break away from limitations, develop open-mindedness, and engage with the rhythmic flow of creative thinking. This approach paves the way for AI and human imagination to come together.

‘Lope’ is presented as 101 live-generated pieces on https://0kai.k011.com from the 18th of July!