“Art(Official) Intelligence” Gallery Exhibition by ARTS 14C Highlight Human Ingenuity Amidst the AI Era

ARTS 14C held its first exhibition of the year featuring artists from its in-house Project 14C residency. “Art(Official) Intelligence” brings together works of all mediums and imagery to answer the question “What does it mean to be uniquely human in this increasingly automated world of art?” The exhibition was curated by artists in residence Alexis Caruso and Velawsmo, who focused on featuring their fellow artists in their residency, highlighting all the recent work they made in that 12-month period.

“AI is on everyone’s mind,” Caruso remarked. “It has gotten a lot of artists worried.” She compared the surge of AI to the 18th century artist’s reaction to the invention of cameras, a worry that “cameras and photographs would take over artists,” which was not the case. Rather than showing the dangers of AI art, the curators took a different approach. “We wanted to make a show that is not anti-AI, but more about showing what artists can do that machines can’t,” Caruso explained. The show centers on what is uniquely human-made. It is an inner dialogue between the artists and the viewer, a moment of reflection to appreciate the human hands and heart that go into every piece.

The name “Art(Official) Intelligence” was created by one of the artists in residence, William Masters. It was supposed to encapsulate the idea of a secret organization, one that focuses on how to interpret AI in this modern world. His acrylic paintings embody the idea of human-made work because of the limitations and chance seen in his usage of printmaking techniques. “When you do that [printmaking], you don’t have any control, there’s this uncertainty that makes the final product shine,” Masters explained. “The humanist angle is about looking at our vulnerabilities and our self-awareness.”

This idea of chance in work can also be seen through Saehyun Paik in her abstract brush oil paintings. “I don’t think when I make my work, I just move my brush and splash complementary colors,” she remarks, waving her hand around as if she was painting.

Many artists interpreted this theme through means other than their final project. One unique aspect of being in the residency program is that the curators could visit each individual studio and foster a greater connection with the artist and their work. “When we visited their studio, we could pick out pieces that truly embodied all of their work, rather than getting something submitted through an open call,” Caruso explained. For example, when visiting Luiza Gottschalk’s studio, instead of focusing on her finished pieces, they looked at the multicolored mosaic patterns seen in her discarded fabrics, tools that she uses to create her pieces. “With AI, you don’t have to show your work, so when you go to an artist’s studio and see their process, it is really human,” Caruso added. The fabrics were picked as one of the main installation pieces, paired with poems and songs crafted by the other artists in residence.

“I know very well how difficult it is to pull off a show this big with so many artists,” Robinson Holloway, the director of ARTS 14C, said. “The curators did a wonderful job. I really love how it all turned out!”

ARTS 14C is a multidisciplinary arts organization in Jersey City that bridges artists from across the globe. Through its project and special residency programs, it serves as an incubator for artists to grow alongside artists, working to expand and support creators of all crafts.

The show is located at Gallery 14C, 157A 1st St., second floor, Jersey City, and will last until April 2, 2026.