[ AI ]
Faux Letters
Linda Dounia
Faux Letters #14 (detail), UV Pigment Print, 2024
Faux Letters was born from extensive exploration of global writing systems. Dounia trained a machine model on her own hand drawings of different characters. By emulating lettering from across the world, from Roman to Korean, Dounia investigated our ability to message through a machine-generated language. Arranged in a grid and rendered in eye-catching colour, each output embodies the artist's creative collision with a machine.
Each artwork comprises an NFT and UV pigment print, signed and numbered by the artist on a label affixed to the reverse of each print. The series was released in partnership with Avant Arte.
“At the core of this work is a question around how we communicate. It’s so ancestral and so intrinsic to our humanity – it’s what sets us apart as a species.”
– Linda Dounia
About The Artist
Linda Dounia is an artist, designer, and curator examining the intricate interplay between tangible and intangible structures through her expansive creative practice that the art of craft-making in dialogue with technology, acrylic, ink, pastels, vector, video, GANs, and more recently, Javascript, including languages like p5.js – that often fuse harmoniously to craft her unique expressions. With a keen eye on technology's impact, Linda, who is Senegalese-Lebanese and currently based in Dakar, delves into how it can either perpetuate inequality or stimulate reflection on the profound philosophical dimensions of techno-capitalism. A notable achievement in Linda's journey is the unveiling of 'Spannungsbogen' in 2022, a series exhibited at Quantum Art. This monumental release marks the first expansive AI collection by an African woman, a compelling effort resonating with reflections on the biases ingrained in facial recognition technology and the dearth of non-Western perspectives within the realm of AI-generated art. Dounia's artistic aspirations are entwined with envisioning futures steeped in solarpunk ideals, embracing degrowth, and championing decolonization. The echoes of her creativity have reverberated across renowned platforms and traditional auction houses like Christie’s, Unit London, Art X Lagos, Partcours, Art Basel Miami, The Dakar Biennale, Artsy NFT, Digital Art Fair Asia, and Art Dubai, where her work has found its vibrant stage.
