Exhibit Statement
Technology is deeply woven into our lives, with Artificial Intelligence (AI) redefining human agency and creativity. This exhibition, Pandora’s Box, explores the intersection of technology, art, and feminism through the artwork of seven women artists. Drawing parallels to the myth of Pandora, the exhibition reclaims her narrative, viewing her curiosity as a symbol of power in the pursuit of knowledge. The participating artists utilize computer aided tools and datasets as collaborators, blending traditional craftsmanship with digital innovation to produce artworks co-created by the human hand and machine. Ultimately, the exhibition reflects on how we wield these tools to augment creative potential, inviting us to consider the trade-offs in a world increasingly shaped by algorithms and automation.
Artists
Irene Carvajal, Liz Hickok, Camila Magrane, Yulia Pinkusevich, Carrie Ann Plank, Şerife (Sherry) Wong, Minoosh Zomorodinia
Curator
Victoria Mara Heilweil
Curator’s Statement
“Technology has become so ingrained in every aspect of our lives, it’s difficult to imagine how we once lived without it. The rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has sparked ethical and safety concerns we may not have adequately addressed before the mass adoption of this into our business, personal and creative lives. Like Pandora opening her mythical box, we have unleashed forces without fully understanding their implications. What is freed from the box cannot be returned, compelling us to make critical choices about how we navigate the future.
“The Greek myth of Pandora, the first woman, is fraught with misogyny. She is portrayed as the archetype of the female gender – seductive and beautiful, but also weak-willed and deceitful with insatiable curiosity. Her inability to resist opening the box was viewed as proof of women’s inherent moral inferiority, reflecting a deeply problematic worldview in which women are seen as lesser beings, responsible for bringing sin and suffering into the previously perfect world of men.
“From a feminist perspective, however, Pandora represents power, agency, and the drive to seek knowledge. As the curator, I have chosen to include only female artists, including several “women of color, in order to highlight underrepresented voices in both art and technology and illuminate how marginalized communities are often disproportionately affected by technological advancements. This forms the foundation for Pandora’s Box, an exhibition featuring seven women artists who use computer aided tools (AI, Augmented Reality (AR), laser cutting and etching and persona data sets) in the creation of their artworks. For the artists, the machine is not merely a tool but a collaborator, combining traditional art making techniques with digital innovation. In doing so, they initiate a conversation between the human hand and the machine, between histories and the future. The technological tools serve not as the endpoint but as instruments to enrich the work’s conceptual and aesthetic depth, while maintaining the artist’s role as the author. Pandora’s Box reflects on how artists wield these tools to enhance creative potential.
“In opening the box, Pandora was simply seeking to understand the world around her. This is a deeply human impulse, the same drive that leads us to explore, invent and discover. Her myth reminds us that our choices carry weight and that we must navigate our relationship with technology responsibly. But it also suggests that the desire for knowledge, even when it leads us astray, is a fundamental part of what makes us human. Once Pandora’s Box was closed, what remained was only hope - which can be optimistic, or illusionary - it is up to us to decide. Each participating artists’ process invites us to reflect on the ethical and societal implications of technology and the power of choice in a world increasingly shaped by algorithms and automation.” — Victoria Mara Heilweil, curator, Pandora’s Box
Photos by Minoosh Zamorodinia
