[A] inspirations. New visual horizons in artificial intelligence era

In 2024, I received a stipend from the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage to support my research on the creative use of generative AI in visual arts. The project focused on exploring the artistic and conceptual potential of tools such as diffusion models, GANs, and DeepDream, while also critically reflecting on their aesthetic, ethical, and environmental implications.

My methodology combined art-based research, netnography, and interviews with artists and experts, allowing me to examine how AI is used in contemporary creative practice and how it shapes visual language. As part of the process, I developed my skills with selected AI tools, tested various visual strategies, and created new experimental works. The research resulted in a multimedia installation and a critical article published in both English and Polish, alongside public talks and workshops aimed at sharing insights with students and cultural professionals. The entire project was developed with a focus on sustainability, using digital formats and low-waste production methods.

Download publication in English: A inspirations – new visuality horizons in artificial intelligence era Sylwia Zolkiewska 2024 EN

Download publication in Polish: A inspiracje – nowe horyzonty wizualnośći w erze sztucznej inteligencji Sylwia Zolkiewska 2024 PL

Read the article online in Contemporary Lynx magazine website.

Read the article in Polish on Issuu.

As part of a Ministry of Culture stipend, I created the video installation AI Mirror: Everything Diffusion, grounded in my ongoing research into AI aesthetics. The project combines artistic reflection on technology with a critical analysis of its impact on perception, visual culture, and ecology.

Using generative models such as MidJourney, I intervened in the creative process by introducing public domain imagery—landscapes of glaciers, snow, ice, and water sourced from platforms like Pixabay and Unsplash. These natural references symbolically echo both the fragile beauty of the environment and the hidden environmental costs of AI computation, including energy-intensive data centers that contribute to climate change.

The work raises questions about data transparency within popular generative tools and experiments with the notion of artificial intelligence engaging in self-reflection. It also addresses the high barriers of entry for artists who wish to train or modify AI models independently. Visually, the installation explores characteristic elements of AI-generated aesthetics: glitches, surreal morphing, symmetry distortions, and visual imperfections.

The title Everything Diffusion refers both to the technical process used in diffusion-based AI models and the metaphorical diffusion of technological influence into every layer of visual culture.

In November 2024 I also held an online discussion with two Polish female AI artists Ivona Tau and Agata Lankamer. Its purpose was to promote women in AI art and to embolden artistic people of all ages to use tools based on AI gen: to provide knowledge about useful tools, methods and techniques for working with AI. During the conversation, we touched on ethical and environmental issues of training our own models and using cloud solutions. Discussion was held in Polish, however English subtitles are provided for more inclusivity and reach.

Funded from EU: 30 000 PLN