“UdK Berlin art student selfportrait” designed in Ohio, manufactured in China

What does image creation by an AI mean? And what happens when it leaves the digital realm and becomes physical?

Prompted with “UdK Berlin art student selfportrait”, an AI generated a .jpg, which in turn got hand-painted three times in oil by chinese artists from the Dafen village (famously known for creating millions of Van Gogh copies every year). What we expect to be manmade is from a machine, and what we expect to be working like a machine, is human.

Which is the original, the .jpg? Or the Painting (and which one)?

Is painting finally dead already?

Oil on canvas; 69 x 69 cm; 2023; x3