10 Questions with Pavel Shynkarenko

Pavel Shynkarenko is a forward-thinking, meta-modernistic artist and entrepreneur who explores the fascinating intersection of technology and human creativity. Five art pieces from his "No Nude No Fashion" series were exhibited at the Miami Swim Week art shows in 2023. The series was sparked by Pavel’s wife and muse, Elena.

"I was engineering an idea for the new art project, - recalls Pavel, - and Elena presented me with an interesting birthday gift. She chose and invited three great models to be featured in the new photo shoot. In our home library, there's an abundance of art books and different albums. Searching through the bookshelves, I found several photo sets by an Italian photographer, Guido Argentini, who has been capturing mostly ballet and classical dancers. His images are very bright and expressive, and the models in them look almost like sculptures covered in metallic paint.

I drew additional inspiration from a variety of lifestyle and fashion magazine shoots and covers and did research to reference the angles and the poses reflected there. It was a very creative process, and I think it was a very good idea, as I liked the results. I made about 1000 photographs in the studio, and then I listed them, and started selecting the best shots. While doing so, I realized that we picked very appropriate colors for every model, for every body type. I also recognized that the models in the images looked natural, but not really. They are nude, but not really. The shots are about fashion, and the poses sync with the glamorous magazine aesthetics, but not really, as the models wear no clothes. There's some trick about it, and the viewer gets slightly confused. This no-precise-genre non-conformism arouses feelings".

In making new art, Pavel also experiments with AI language models. In his groundbreaking "Human and AI Collaborative Art" project, Shynkarenko unites the talents of human artists with artificial intelligence systems, resulting in a harmonious fusion of abstract images and photography. This innovative approach invites viewers to contemplate the evolving relationship between humans and AI, question the nature of artistic expression, and consider the potential of AI integration in contemporary artistic practices.

By delving into meta-modernist ideas, oscillating between opposites like irony and sincerity and subjectivity and objectivity, Shynkarenko's work transcends traditional artistic boundaries. His project showcases the creative synergy that emerges from human-AI collaboration, sparking essential questions about the nature of art and creativity in our rapidly evolving world. Through his thought-provoking creations, Pavel Shynkarenko challenges perceptions and offers a fresh perspective on the role of technology in art. Pavel's solo show in Limassol, Cyprus in the summer of 2023 was a big success.

Images printed on metallic plates are available for purchase.

pavelsart.com | @vs_pavel

Beyond the Self: AIstructed Portraiture © Pavel Shynkarenko

INTERVIEW

First of all, let's talk a bit about you. When and how did you start getting involved with visual arts and photography?

I started practicing street photography as a hobby in 2020, but after a couple of months, I realized that I was lacking skills, so I began reading more about photography techniques, methods, and equipment. My next goal was to make it easier for myself when I photographed my wife on vacations. In this peculiar fashion, I was studying composition and light. While visiting interesting places, I started paying more attention to contemporary art projects, which got me captivated. I really wanted to understand why the new forms of art, being often so 'bizarre', evoke stronger emotions in me and resonate more in me than the art from the past centuries.

You started as a photographer, and you are now also working with AI. What inspired you to make this shift?

Yes, I started with photography, and during the coronavirus pandemic, I was learning drawing and painting. Later, in 2022, I discovered the combination of abstract imagery with photography using artificial intelligence. I believe it was a sort of evolution, an expansion of my understanding of art, and a creative exploration, which is continuing still. I make a living by driving a fintech business aimed at automating the payment processes for freelancers. In 2021, I faced the business task of applying large linguistic models to solve practical tasks, such as finding answers in a text. We used this approach to enhance the user experience in our Solar Staff project. That's when I saw the emerging 'magic' in it. I mean that quite advanced technology can look magical, and I could feel it as our model was producing similar results even when changing requests in languages and texts. Later, when we began developing a new AI assistant project for freelancers, I decided to try using AI in my artistic pursuits. I imagined it as my art team working together with me on art projects. So, initially, I started using AI to seek answers to my questions, and I was essentially learning from AI and consulting with it as an expert in various fields. Afterwards, I began incorporating AI into the creative process itself.

Do you think AI and AI-generated art will have a long-lasting impact on the art world? Or are they just a temporary trend, like NFTs?

AI is undoubtedly the "next big thing": in its impact, it's comparable to the advent of the internet. AI-generated images in art are still a question, and I'm also searching for answers to this question. I've come to the conclusion that AI is an artist's tool, much like a brush or sculptor's pneumatic tools or a 3D printer. But it's a bird of a different kind.
It will undoubtedly give rise to a new form of art, just as the invention of the camera or film camera did. People can use almost anything in art, even explosives, and in my opinion, that's a good - peaceful - application of those. Of course, I expect the hype around generative images 'without an added value' to subside; any hype fades. However, if an artist has something to say, and AI-generated images are just a tool for the artist's expression, such works can and will remain in demand even after the hype."

On a general level, what for you is the most enjoyable part of your art?

Of course, it's a process of exploring the subject and giving birth to an image. It's when you realize that you've 'hit the mark' and managed to expand the perception of the subject through added abstraction, creating additional meanings that aren't readily discernible by merely looking at the subject. It's about evoking emotions that are somehow related to the subject, revealing new angles to the viewer.

No nude no fashion Vol. 1 © Pavel Shynkarenko

Let's talk about your Beyond the Self series. Can you explain your idea and how you are working on it?

It all began when I asked AI if it could create a psychological portrait of a person and what it needed for that. It responded that it required information about the person and answers to questions. I then asked it to provide me with those questions, and they were as straightforward as an arrow. I told the AI that it didn't understand people at all, as people not only rarely answer questions sincerely but also often know little about their own personalities. So, I asked the AI to imagine that it was Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and a group of modern psychology professors and experienced practicing psychologists from the USA and Europe. That's when I received different questions. There were only eight questions in total. The first one was, 'Tell me what you do when you lose track of time?' The second was, 'Tell me about an event or period in your life that transformed you and how it affected your mindset?' This intrigued me, and I tried creating descriptions based on the interviews with myself and my wife, Elena. Then, I looked into the word 'portrait' and asked the GPT chat to generate a prompt for MidJourney. That's how I got the first abstractions that formed the basis of the portraits. I believe it was right when the idea of creating a series of portraits that expand the perception of a model's personality was born. I thought about what kind of personalities these could be and which models could be the first subjects of these portraits. I consulted with AI, and according to its opinion, I should have chosen celebrities. However, I decided to take a completely different approach because we already have so much information about celebrities, their life paths, personalities, and especially their portraits. I decided that I would use exotic dancers as my first models since few people are interested in their personalities, while most of the people are focused on their bodies.

Where do you find inspiration for your work, and what is your creative process like?

My initial inspiration came from Elena, my wife. She played multiple roles in this project - muse, assistant, and curator of a local exhibition in Cyprus, where we live. Lena and Yulia (Lena's sister) agreed to participate in my project as models. My wife helped me organize the search, logistics, and contracts with suitable models, leaving me with ample space and time for creativity. I considered it important to highlight the significance of personality and individuality, as well as freedom, especially the freedom of women, wives, mothers, and sisters, to participate in such open projects - especially in Cyprus. As a result, the exhibition became popular, and I was delivering guided tours at the show every day. I believe I succeeded in convincing a bunch of skeptically inclined people to try AI in their professional and creative tasks. It sparked conversations about the importance of every individual and how we often overlook it, and also about the freedom of married women in traditional societies.

Why do you use this visual language? And how has it evolved over the years?

I think that, initially, the idea of 'augmented reality' in portraiture and the transformation of objects captivated me. Then, through studying art history and immersing myself in the works of Matisse, Vrubel, Malevich, and Picasso, as well as exploring the transformation of sound in the art pieces by Kandinsky, I began to feel that this was the path already followed. I felt I could further enrich it by absorbing meanings and enhancing ideas. I believe Matisse was a genius at conveying emotion through color, Picasso was a great explorer of forms, and Malevich had an intuitive ability to see and emphasize the important, skillfully cutting away the unnecessary. Currently, I am still exploring and on the path to finding my own artistic language."

What do you hope that the public takes away from your work?

I'd be glad if you, even for a moment, consider that there are so many personalities around you - so unique and the ones you can hardly fully understand; how beautiful, interesting, aesthetic, frightening, or even terrifying they can be, but in any case, incredibly valuable. It would also be great if my work helps reduce the fear of AI among creative individuals.

What are you working on now, and what are your plans for the future in terms of new projects?

Currently, I'm working on a series of portraits of American women. For this project, I deliberately chose girls and women who are as different from each other as possible by numerous criteria. Much sets them apart. My task is to find common factors among them to demonstrate through their examples how one can puncture their communication bubbles.

Finally, do you have any upcoming shows or collaborations you are looking forward to?

Yes, I do. Three of my art pieces from 'Beyond the Self: AIstructed Portraiture' series are currently displayed at the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists' Coalition art show in Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY. The show is celebrating the organization's 45th anniversary, and it's an essential event in the New York art scene. The exhibition opened on September 9, the same weekend as the Armory Art Show, and it's on till October 8 for the whole month. It's in a historic vaulted warehouse located by the riverside, with stunning views of Manhattan, and energized by the classical Brooklyn hipster vibes. I also plan to present my new art project later in the year in Miami. It's going to be exciting!

Artist’s Talk

Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.

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