This innovative exhibition invites viewers to reflect on the rapidly evolving relationship between traditional and AI-driven photography and the potential future of both art forms

Curated by Boris Eldagsen for European Month of Photography Berlin In association with: Photo Edition Berlin- Guelman und Unbekannt gallery

  • Richard Orlinski

  • A Landmark Moment for Photography and AI

    Artists Boris Eldagsen and Miles Astray joined forces for a groundbreaking exhibition titled RIVALS – Photography vs. Promptography, which took place as part of the European Month of Photography in Berlin.

    The exhibition, which ran until March 31, 2025, presented their viral works The Electrician and F L A M I N G O N E side by side for the first time, highlighting the evolving relationship between traditional photography and AI-generated promptography.

    Both artists sparked significant public debate after secretly submitting their works to prestigious competitions. Eldagsen’s AI-generated image won the Creative category at the 2023 Sony World Photography Awards, while Astray’s real photograph received two distinctions in the AI category of the 1839 Awards in 2024. These works exposed the increasingly blurred boundary between AI imagery and photography, challenging the limits of visual media.

    Curated by Boris Eldagsen, a photomedia artist known for exploring the unconscious and blending the sublime with the uncanny, the exhibition was organized in collaboration with Photo Edition Berlin and Galerie Guelman und Unbekannt. Eldagsen posed critical questions: What are the unique strengths of photography that AI cannot replace? And what are the capabilities of AI that photography cannot achieve? He emphasized the need for photo festivals and institutions to more clearly define the relationship between photography and AI — a gap that remains largely unaddressed.

  • March 14th Opening Night at Artverse

  • AI_BorisEldagsen_TheElectrician

  • AI_sabinevonbassewitz-multiplesclerosis-ataxia2024

  • To explore these questions, the exhibition brought together the works of 18 photographers and 18 AI artists, offering a diverse and multifaceted view of both mediums. Among the standout pieces was the work of an artist with multiple sclerosis, using AI to express the sensations of her condition, and a photographer who allowed the sun to burn his film, turning the process itself into a subject of artistic reflection.

    Eldagsen described the exhibition as a “toolbox” for both the photography and promptography communities, aiming to clarify and celebrate the distinct powers of each medium .
    Partecipating Artists:
    Photography

    @clausstolz | @elleklaus | @patrik.budenz | @clausbach007 | @silberflugel (=Ursula Kelm) | @laurence_chaperon | @linnschroederlinn | @jjackiebaier | @matthiasleupoldberlin | @torsten_schumann | @peter.truschner | @peterneusser | @milesastray

    Promptography

    @clintenns | @placentashake | @arikweismann | @___infrarouge | @emiksn (=Emi Kusano) | @sabinevonbassewitz | @merzmensch_kosmopol | @kevinabosch | @andreasmuellerpohle | @the.forbidden.toys (=Rosemberg) | @jason_m_allen | @ai.s.a.m | @wuh.ey | @boriseldagsen |

    Galleries & EMOP @photo.edition.berlin | @guelman_und_unbekannt_gallery | @emopberlin

The exhibition space is divided into two halves: one dedicated to photography, exploring themes such as presence, perception, and objectivity, and the other focusing on AI artistry, with works delving into the realms of overcoming nature’s laws, self-awareness, and conceptual art. In the center, The Electrician and F L A M I N G O N E hang side by side, symbolizing the convergence of both worlds, marking the transitional space where photography and AI intersect.

Miles Astray shares his enthusiasm for participating in this unprecedented exhibition, saying, “I’m very glad to participate in this important and first-of-its-kind exhibition alongside such a diverse group of artists, using completely different approaches not just across the two mediums but also through differing techniques and artistic visions within each category. Art is what you see in it, and there’s a lot to see here.” .

  • Photo_PatrikBudenz_postmortem

  • Photo_MilesAstray_Flamingone

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