Only That Which Is Absent Can Be Imagined is series of empty vessel paintings, that can take on any type of concept and political message. Inspired by clickbait and fake news, the piece is is the result of a neural network that has been trained to copy the visual style of a selection of infamous memes all sourced from 4chan.
By re-appropriating the visual style of the now infamous fake news / propaganda memes, and converting it into material for the neural network, the piece aims to further muddle the waters. Is the popularity of these political agendas due to an increasing dystopian political landscape, and the use of the memes as propaganda or does the visual style of the memes carry inherent power to be shared and could the effects of it’s spread potential be subverted and utilised for other purposes?
Presented in conjunction with this poem on the series website
As an empty vessel, a bearer of truths with true statements of post fact.
In a seemingly never ending stream, what is left for the imagination, what is new?.
You’ll never guess what happens next. 12 ways you can find new truth right now. Bait. Block all. Click. Block it again. The cycle comes to an end.
Forward into the vast abyss, discover new contexts and meanings to make. The vessel becomes the truth, feed it anything you’d like to come true.
Realize now, and expand your view. Anything you’d like can become true.
Only that which is absent can be imagined, and only that which is empty can be filled.
