The world is witnessing a rapid and amazing development in the field of technology and artificial intelligence. Machines have begun to transform into beings with advanced and multiple capabilities, and artificial intelligence has become an essential role in our daily lives. It is a phenomenon that ranges between exciting and challenging. In light of this tremendous development, many are wondering about the relationship between man and machine, and what might arise between them. And that relationship becomes more complex with each technological advance, as machines become smarter and more able to learn and interact. Man and machine exchange information and data, and technology grows to meet our needs and improve our lives. However, there are questions about the balance between the potential benefits of AI and machines, and the potential negative impacts on humanity and society. Amidst this atmosphere, the new solo exhibition, by artist Nasser Nasrallah, in 421, which takes place from May 18 to August 27, under the title “The Poetics of Machines”, takes us on a journey to worlds of mechanical beings living in an unknown temporal space, to tell us about The human-machine relationship from a mythical perspective, and through an interwoven array of drawings, paintings, written texts, textiles, and installation works.
-
An exhibition that explores the renewed relationship between man and machine at 421
The detailed drawings and paintings depict a variety of unique robotic figures, displayed in groups resembling a close-knit community of machines. The exhibition constitutes a platform or theater equipped to display improvised narratives, embodying the spirit of communication, dialogue and interaction between the society of machines, in an attempt to seek a possible life in what has no soul, and vice versa, thus indicating the impact of machines on our daily lives, and our ever-renewing relationship with these mechanical beings.
Nasrallah’s perceptions of machines are not limited to their mechanical properties, but rather he works to impart a kind of personality, emotion, and even a sense of humor to them, as visitors pass, while touring the exhibition, in front of a fax machine that receives instant messages, and a sofa similar to the one in the artist’s studio. These elements create a sense of familiarity, as if they welcome visitors into the artist’s personal world. Nasrallah won the award for the 2023 edition of the Artistic Development Program, and this exhibition is a direct product of this program, which is organized by Gallery 421, in partnership with the Emerging Art Institute.
