Raw and Real: Art in the Age of AI

Synthesis

By Toni Cogdell

One of the truly lovely aspects of running New Blood Art, is the chance to get to know the artists personally. Many of them have become good friends over time. This week, I had the pleasure of taking a walk along the river in Bristol with Toni Cogdell, an artist whose work and spirit never fail to move me.

As we walked and took in the natural beauty around us, our conversation meandered through a variety of topics—life, nature, and the ever-evolving culture of the art world. We were particularly enjoying watching the herons. There are some amazing heronries in the area, with nests high up in the trees. These colonies, or heronries, are quite a sight, with nests typically located 30-70 feet above the ground. We stopped at a bench that Toni calls the “Heron Bench” and just sat, watching the way they interacted with each other. It was lovely.

Toni’s work is incredibly raw and real. She wears her heart on her sleeve, creating pieces that are deeply personal yet universally resonant. Her art dives beneath the surface to explore the depths of human consciousness, capturing moments of introspection and emotion with striking authenticity. She celebrates the handmade, embracing the imperfect beauty of the human touch, which stands in stark contrast to our increasingly digital world.

In our conversation, Toni expressed a concern that the increasing prevalence of AI and programmable approaches in art might lead to a preference for perfection. We see a lot of this on social media, where polished and flawless images often overshadow the raw and imperfect. But there is a unique beauty in imperfection, a bravery in presenting something real and unfiltered.

This led us to wonder: could there be a return to raw authenticity? When everything is so perfectly curated, might we start to crave the imperfect perfection of human creation—the visible layers, the working out of ideas, the unmistakable touch of a human hand? Perhaps in a world dominated by AI, it will be this authentic creativity that we come to revere the most.

Toni’s work moves me not just because of its inherent beauty and emotional depth, but because it is such an embodiment of herself. There is a profound alignment between her art and who she is as a person. This authenticity, this alignment, is what makes her work so powerful and resonant.

Toni’s favorite artists, like Jean-Michel Basquiat and David Kim Whittaker, embody this spirit. Their works are fragments of identity and being, portals that gently reconnect us to ourselves. Basquiat’s raw and expressive style and Whittaker’s exploration of identity and memory resonate deeply with Toni’s own approach to art. Toni hopes her art can serve a similar purpose, offering viewers a chance to align with their own authentic selves. This alignment, this emotional honesty in her work, is something we see in other New Blood Art artists as well.

For example, Natalie Chapman’s spirited figurative paintings reveal the nuances of social relationships through dramatic color and space. Her work uses energetic hues and tensioned space to create captivating and somewhat unnerving imagery. Chapman’s portrayal of interpersonal dynamics is both tender and tense, with her use of dark outlines and skewed perspectives transforming the relationship between her figures and the spaces they occupy.

It’s a privilege to present a group of Toni’s works alongside other artists on New Blood Art who share this commitment to authenticity. Their art reminds us of the power of imperfection, the beauty of raw expression, and the importance of staying true to oneself. This collection of artists seems to touch upon Carl Jung’s concept of the collective unconscious, where universal experiences and archetypes resonate across individuals and cultures, creating a profound connection through shared human experiences.

As Jung said, “The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.” In a world that often values perfection, let’s celebrate the imperfect, the real, and the deeply human.

Raw and Real: Art in the Age of AI