February 7, 2025–March 22, 2025
February 14, 5–8 pm: opening reception and Art Walk
March 1, 1–3 pm: Exhibit Walk Through with curator Victoria Mara Heilweil
March 13, 6 pm: Art Talk via Zoom
Curator in conversation with artists: Irene Carvajal, Liz Hickok, Yulia Pinkusevich, Carrie Ann Plank, Minoosh Zomorodinia
March 14, 5–8 pm: closing reception and Art Walk
Gallery 1337
Pandora’s Box
Irene Carvajal, Media(tions): Blink, 2024, mono print/screen print, collage on paper, 18x24”
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
Irene Carvajal, Media(tions): Echos, 2024, mono print/screen print, collage on paper, 18” x 24”
Irene Carvajal
(created with the assistance of Chat GPT)
Media(tions) explores the intersection of memory, technology, and media, highlighting how information is mediated and distorted through the lenses of AI, mass media and personal experience. Using AI to generate images of homes I once inhabited, I delve into the malleability of memory and the way time alters our recollections. These digital renderings are further mediated by the physical process of screenprinting, which introduces another layer of transformation —echoing the gaps, fades, and distortions that naturally occur in memory.
The family homes in these images are not mere representations of physical spaces but are fragmented memories, shaped by years of absence as well as the cultural bias of the people who programmed Dall-E. I attempted to describe the homes as literally as possible. I searched for a memory of the front of the houses, situating myself on the opposite sidewalk and wrote a physical description of the facade of each family home. Number, size and shape of windows; position of a door, TV antennae, electricity cables, fences, stairs, gates, planter boxes and trees. I also told Dall-E what country this house belongs in (United States, Costa Rica and Japan). At times I requested drawings of the homes, other times I requested photographs. I edited my prompts multiple times attempting to match my memory to the image being created. I have over 200 images saved in Dall-E.
Just as mass media and artificial intelligence selectively edits and presents reality, my process of translating AI-generated images into silkscreen prints reflects the subjective nature of memory itself: incomplete, layered, and reconstructed over time. Each iteration of the already highly mediated AI image prints uniquely. The natural variations due to factors such as ink, pressure, substrate and tools serves as a metaphor for the evolving nature of recollection and the effect of technology and media on the perception of truth—how certain details fade, others become exaggerated, and new narratives emerge.
Liz Hickok, Ground Waters: Submerged, 2018, sublimation print on aluminum with augmented reality video and sound, 30” x 45”, edition 1/6
Liz Hickok
I am inspired by the ephemeral nature of the Earth’s landscape, from built structures to the subterranean layers that shape our planet. My work explores the intersection of chemistry, the environment, and imagination—engaging with material play to evoke wonder and awe coupled with urgent reflection on environmental issues. Utilizing glowing colors and shifts in scale, I invite viewers to question what is real and what is imagined.
In my Ground Waters series, I construct miniature environments that are flooded with a crystal solution. Documenting their transformation through photography and video, I record the ephemeral deterioration. Over time, the crystals grow and engulf the structures, turning them into surreal, otherworldly environments. While the vibrant color scheme invites curiosity, the sharp formations in the crystals are clearly chemical in nature, serving as a reminder of the pollutants saturating our ecosystems.
Each artwork is a unique experiment, capturing fleeting moments of alchemical metamorphosis as materials shift and reshape. Through Augmented Reality technology, my still photographs come to life, allowing viewers to experience the crystal growth unfolding before their eyes. This interactive layer adds a dynamic perspective, bringing into focus the invisible natural forces that shape and alter the world around us.
Camila Magrane, Tension, 2021, augmented reality polaroid, 7” x 7”, edition 4/10
Courtesy of Themes + Projects
Camila Magrane
Camila Magrane has a background in video game development and a deep-rooted passion for analog photography, her interest lies in developing a dialogue between the virtual and the physical. Magrane’s images are inspired by surrealist compositions – rooted in the unconscious, dream-like, sensuous, and unsettling. At the same time, the works reference the graphic hyperrealism of contemporary video game design which continues to be an integral part of her artistic practice.
This series, Traces, explores the relationship between the past and the present with a focus on the process of transformation as the connecting thread. The work includes a collection of polaroids that are accompanied by animations and video clips seen solely through the use of an augmented reality application (Virtual Mutations). The purpose of using augmented reality as an accompaniment to the static imagery is to invite the observer to take part, not only as a viewer, but as an active participant of the evocative and symbolic narratives represented in the diverse themes of each piece.
The polaroids are stripped of interaction and complexities and instead composed of simple repetitive motions locked in endless loops and lacking in linearity. The titles of the polaroids refer to states of mind and emotions which are interpreted by the motions of the displayed figure. The repetitive movements and ghostly traces of motion mimic the monotonous nature of our thought processes and emotional patterns and the difficulty of breaking out of these mental habits and routines which shape predictable patterns of behaviors.
Yulia Pinkusevich, Mars Holes Sol 182-1382 3, 2016, laser cut and etched acrylic and pastel on birch panels, 4” x 6” each, installation varies
Yulia Pinkusevich
This body of work was developed while I was an Artist in Residence at Autodesk’s Pier 9, a state of the art advanced manufacturing facility that encouraged the use of technology in unconventional ways. With this in mind I collaborated with the latest machines (at that time) to invent a form of hybrid painting/etching that considers the tension between human and machine art making. I reversed the human machine roles by systematically layering paint by hand and letting the laser carve away layers revealing unexpected colors and textures. By embracing both the precision and the mistakes of the process, I view each glitch as the machine’s opportunity for creative self-expression. The series considers the position of humankind at a time in which speculative fictions are becoming technological realities—our machine-aided capabilities expanding the reach of our species in both space and time.
The artworks in this exhibition reference historic and contemporary NASA and ESA images of some of first human/robotic interventions made on Mars during the Mars Curiosity mission.
Carrie Ann Plank, Atomic Data Point Convergence, 2022, polychrome woodcut, acrylic, and AI generated imagery on panel installation, 60” x 90”
Carrie Ann Plank
Atomic Data Point Convergence reflects Carrie Ann Plank’s fascination with visualizing data from scientific phenomena and mathematical equations as a universal language. This project involved mapping co-prime numeric systems and analyzing their convergence points. During its creation, Plank served as an alpha tester for OpenAI’s DALL-E project, sparking her interest in the contrasting modes of representation derived from the same data points.
Plank merged her own analysis of numeric equations with the outputs generated by the AI, creating a fusion of interpretations. The resulting artwork combines digital reproductions generated by DALL-E with traditional hand-carved woodcuts. Unlike traditional printmaking, Plank approached these woodcuts as unique, one-of-a-kind pieces rather than editioned prints, emphasizing the singularity of each work.
This interplay between the algorithmic nature of AI-generated imagery and the tactile, labor-intensive process of carving creates a dynamic dialogue. It highlights contrasts between anachronistic methods of art-making and cutting-edge technologies, opening a broader discussion on how we visualize and interpret information in the modern age.
Şerife (Sherry) Wong, The Origins of Clouds (I-IV), 2023, watercolor, gouache, and ink on paper, 9” x 12”each
This series was first published by Logic(s) Magazine, Columbia University
Şerife (Sherry) Wong
The Origins of Clouds is an illuminated essay exploring the impact of artificial intelligence art tools. Through tezhip, traditional Islamic illumination, the work traces artistic lineages from mosque tiles to neural networks, revealing how both geometric patterns and AI systems reflect their creators’ power.
Over a blood-red background, surveillance themes frame both input and output of creative processes. Company logos sprout beneath military eagles, while a wilted blue rose symbolizes China’s digital oppression. The piece is a documentation of research and 200 hours of meditative hand-labor – each page constructed with compass and ruler, each mistake in folded patterns teaching lessons about careful progress through art and life.
Personal symbols weave throughout: a tree of birds and flowers honors the community who contributed feedback and knowledge, while hand positions borrowed from whirling dervishes show the cycle of receiving and giving. Inspired by the Persian “Conference of Birds” and Rumi’s concept of dual intelligences, the work features a tree growing from the head and a fountain flowing from the heart, representing knowledge learned versus wisdom that springs from within.
This piece positions art as social healing and an alternative way of knowing that stands as epistemic counter to AI forms of extraction. The work is dedicated to Abdurehim Heyit, master Uyghur folk musician, who was imprisoned without cause and whose current well-being is unknown. It is artists like him who are most impacted by algorithmic tools, subject to mass digital surveillance, where data is used for control, oppression, and the violation of human rights.
Minoosh Zomorodinia, The Decolonial Atlas: 5-santa fe 33:9.9, 2018, laser burned fabric and tape on canvas, 10” x 9.5”, framed 11” x 14”
Minoosh Zomorodinia
Minoosh Zomorodinia investigates the relationship between the body and the land. She uses walking as a catalyst and documents time and space to explore the influence of technology as a colonial structure, while also questioning the boundaries of land ownership. In the Digital Age, where technology holds the power to alter data and create information, her work addresses the impact of these transformations. Her strolls often reimagine our relationship with nature and technology, addressing the transformation of memories into physical spaces.
Zomorodinia uses motion-tracking technology on her smartphone to document her interactions with the land, whether in remote landscapes or urban environments. These documentations form the basis of her artworks. Golden Routes are GPS recordings that capture time and space. They visualize the time spent creating objects in the studio, transforming walking maps into artworks or documenting performative acts. The resulting shapes take diverse forms, such as paper cutouts, laser-cut wood, burned fabric and tape on canvas, gilded wood panels, or clay. Using technology, Zomorodinia crafts these imagined spaces as if they are new territories, translating time into abstract topographic shapes.
Curator: Victoria Heilweil
Victoria Mara Heilweil (MFA California College of the Arts) is a feminist, lens-based artist and independent curator based in San Francisco, CA. Heilweil’s artwork has been exhibited nationally, including the de Young Museum, Institute of Contemporary Art San Jose, Robert V. Fullerton Art Museum, University Art Gallery at California State Chico, Center for Photographic Art and the Minneapolis Photo Center. Her photographs are included in collections at Cornell University, Center for Photography at Woodstock, CMPC/Sutter Health Van Ness Hospital in San Francisco, San Francisco Arts Commission, Citizen M Hotel in Menlo Park and a COVID-19 Time Capsule at the San Francisco Library.
As a founding member of MicroClimate Collective, an artist created curatorial project, she co-produced twelve exhibitions over an eight year span. As a solo curator, she has created exhibitions showcasing a variety of mediums in the Bay Area at Root Division, PHOTO Gallery and Art Works Downtown. Her curatorial practice specializes in showing women artists, who are traditionally underrepresented in the art world, to highlight and elevate their voices. She has received grants from the Puffin Foundation, Palo Alto Public Art and the San Francisco Arts Commission.