Graffiti and ‘Machine Learning’ Collide in the Paintings of Alsino Skowronnek
I personally never liked the idea of spraying a tag on a canvas and plonking it in a white gallery. A huge part of graffiti, for me at least, only makes sense in the street.
With that said, I am interested in the idea of artists armed with spray guns and pens, of artists using writing and text as another drawing tool. I’m interested in the immediacy of scrawling words on a surface and creating a new kind of visual poetry. I’m also interested in the idea of painting over - or “buffing” - as a way of erasing marks and creating new layers. An artist like Cy Twombly uses these methods, which you could argue are graffiti-inspired rather than ‘graffiti art’ per se. In this art, the text is ambiguous and makes you squint.
I was thinking about these interests in relation to the work of Alsino Skowronnek, a German artist who’s currently based in Berlin and Barcelona, and who has written graffiti for over 20 years. I can see his use of spray can, his symbols and text, abstracted as if put through a blender. His work definitely has a relationship with graffiti, but it definitely isn’t simply reproduced tags in a gallery. His work also has an intriguing relationship with artificial intelligence. I reached out to him to find out more.
Hey Alsino. I was curious to read that you’re interested in AI—or ‘machine learning’ in your art. How do you use it as a starting point in your paintings?
In my work, AI is both a tool and a subject. As a tool, I use a specifically trained machine learning model to create new types of calligraphic structures, which I call “ghost tags.” These tags are basically strange-looking letter combinations and signs, which are based on a very simple pixel translation algorithm called “Pix2Pix.” These glyphs are usually the starting point for any new work I make and are used to write down ideas or fragments of sentences on a canvas, often in a cryptic form that is not very readable.
On the subject level, I’m interested in the direction AI is heading and its implications for our lives. I like to think of my pieces generally as notes or diary entries, which often comment on the things I observe around me, and sometimes this relates to the field of AI and sometimes to my personal life.
Graffiti also looms large in your work. Can you tell me how you’ve incorporated it into your painting?
Graffiti plays an essential role in my work to this day. It has been the starting point of my artistic journey and informs much of what I have done in my life. Besides sparking my interest in letters a long time ago, it has equipped me with a number of skills and approaches that help me in my creative process. Even when doing studio work, I somehow carry that graffiti energy within me. It is a sense of urgency and spontaneity that graffiti has instilled in me and that I’m trying to preserve.
I’m interested in the influence of graffiti buffs in painting. Do you use a layered technique that’s inspired by painting over bits of text?
The way I approach my paintings is not so much focused on the idea of using “buffing” as a stylistic element. I like the aesthetics of the “buff,” and it generally speaks to me, but I think that I do not consciously focus on it. For me, I use buffing more with the original intent of “repairing” something. I’m not afraid to erase any part of a painting, an idea that graffiti has taught me. When there is something wrong in a particular painting, using paint as an eraser is the easiest way to give myself another chance.
What’s your take on the use of graffiti in the art world, in terms of what does and doesn’t work? I’ve personally seen a lot of bad ‘street art’ painting, but there are some artists using it in more subtle ways that I find more interesting.
For me, graffiti happens in the outside world, so graffiti in a white cube is really not for me. It needs context. I’m not really interested in street art either. For me, the interesting thing is to see how somebody with a graffiti background applies their own history and experience in developing something new in any (creative) field. I would like to think that there is something like a graffiti attitude, and this can be carried over to other walks of life, even outside of art. What does a graffiti artist, chef or dentist do differently from somebody else?
Where do the symbols and text come from in your work?
The signs in my work are a sort of spontaneous mark-making, in which I freely adapt the glyphs output by the machine algorithm. The idea is to interpret a writing system that does not really exist—or which has no cultural source or significance as such. It’s an artificial writing system that was developed in conjunction with a basic machine learning system. For me, this vacuum is an interesting space, and I’m exploring how to fill it with meaning from my own experiences, expressing my thoughts, history, and ideas through letters that are extremely idiosyncratic and confined to a specific moment in time.
Can you tell me about your visual style in relation to the machine theme? It’s almost glitchy, the way you present it.
The visual style in my painting is something that has evolved from my background in two distinct worlds. Before painting, I worked as a programmer in data visualization. On the other hand, I have been writing graffiti for more than 20 years. These two worlds collide in my work. The techniques and practical painting tools I use are still the same ones I have been using in graffiti over the years: spray can, roller paint, and pencil. In my programming work, especially in my research and application of neural networks, I have been very interested in the architecture of information within a given system. Many of my paintings metaphorically express this.
In the training process of a neural network, for example, information is passed between thousands of layers until a concept is “learned” by the machine. This layering of information results, at least in the beginning of the training process, in incomplete concepts and visual artifacts. I think that many of my paintings transmit this idea visually. What I’m essentially trying to do is to better understand the mechanics within such a system. As I cannot fully comprehend all of the complexities, I’m at least trying to visualize them.
What’s your studio routine like, and what kind of atmosphere do you like when you create?
I like my studio to be pretty calm and relaxed and try to take time when working on my pieces. I usually put on some music and try to let things come to me. I usually start by writing down ideas and phrases and have them cook for a few days or sometimes weeks before I touch the spray can or brush.
Lastly, any upcoming shows to look out for?
Just recently, I started working with Galeria MPA from Madrid by way of representation, which I’m really excited about. Our first collaborations will be the Estampa and Arco art fairs in Madrid in October 2024 and March 2025 respectively, and I’m very much looking forward to showing my work there. Other than that, expect a solo show at MPA in 2025 and a few group shows here and there all over.
Follow Alsino on Instagram: @alsinoskowronnek
Things on Our Radar This Week
The ‘Machine Painting’ show at Modern Art EC1, London (from 6 Oct)
While Frieze Art Fair is in full swing, London’s art market is apparently worrying some suits
A conversation between George Rouy and Ben Luke
Wish we could see this beautiful looking new show by MSR / FCJ in China
A studio visit with Stanley Casselman who talks about getting pigeonholed
Thanks for reading, see you next time!
Oliver & Kezia xx
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