Artists boycotted this portrait prize over AI entries. Now they’re back to take them on
After two years shunning the Brisbane portrait prize, several artists are entering again, with some First Nations painters counting on another AI – ‘ancestral integrity’ – to help them win Poised above the lady in the red dress is a claw. Its metallic fingers grasp to pluck its prize from a jumble of other women while she looks dreamily upward, as if to say “Who, me?” The woman in the red dress…
After a two-year hiatus, several artists are returning to the Brisbane portrait prize, including some First Nations painters who hope a new technology will aid them in winning. The Brisbane portrait prize, which had previously shunned AI entries, made headlines in 2024 when it opened its doors to AI-generated art. This decision by the award sparked outrage among many in the arts community and led to a boycott by former winners, including renowned photographer Russell Shakespeare.
Among the prominent critics was First Nations artist Birrunga, who deemed AI-generated art as mere decoration and lacking cultural depth.
Birrunga made a collective decision this year to "reinsert" his gallery's artists into the prize, this time painting self-portraits with a focus on "ancestral integrity" to assert the irreplaceable value of cultural knowledge and practice. Kane Brunjes, a Gunggari and Kabi Kabi painter, and Elysia Love-Anderson, a Kamilaroi artist, both created works in this vein, emphasizing that their art is rooted in the wisdom passed down from their ancestors, which AI cannot replicate.
These artists emphasize the importance of retaining the human creative control and connection to generations of practice, even as AI technology continues to reshape society.
Written by urgent.news from The Guardian Australia's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
