Jed Gjerek Creative statement
My research focusses on the transition from mimesis to simulacra and hyperreality, exploring how AI-generated content and digital media reshape our perception of reality. By integrating visual programming languages and AI algorithms in my research, I explore how computer-driven experiences challenge the idea of an original or authentic source, culminating in the concept of hyperreality, where the boundaries between the real and the simulated dissolve, blurring the lines between human and non-human, life and non-life, and real and virtual.
In my practice, I consider the universe a space where non-life and non-human precede humanity, advocating for a relational ontology that dissolves the boundaries between human and non-human, between life and non-life. Through highlighting the active role of non-human entities in shaping human experiences, my work suggests that consciousness and consciousness-like phenomena are dispersed across interconnected networks of actors throughout the environment. This approach challenges conventional notions of reality, embracing a broader, non-anthropocentric view.
My work is deeply rooted in the concepts of mimesis, simulacra, and hyperreality. Through mimesis, I investigate how digital imitates and reflects the world, extending the act of imitation beyond human-centric perspectives to acknowledge the agency of non-human actors. This leads into the realm of simulacra, where representations take on independent existences, becoming active participants in the construction of reality. By creating spaces where reality and its representations are indistinguishable, my work reflects this collapsing of differences.
My multidisciplinary art-based research mainly uses painting, digital media, and theoretical research. I see my work as provocative and theatrical, like a performance that challenges conventional understandings of existence. Criticising the hypocrisy of reality, my work serves as a call to embrace individuality, question established beliefs and challenge the status quo. Sometimes I see myself as a provocateur whose role is to reflect the world in all its complexity and often ugliness. Like AI, I’m a mirror—I change and adapt based on what’s in front of me. In a world where reflection is needed more than ever, we need that mirror.