In his History Painting project, Jason Salavon combines historical storytelling, computational innovation, and a critical reimagining of encyclopedic knowledge through generative art-making.
The project revolves around an expansive yet personal framework: a narrative of 800 encyclopedic entries spanning the history of the cosmos. These entries (some rigorously historical, others personal and idiosyncratic) are each paired with textual descriptions and generated imagery. Presented together as a hardcover Field Guide and four monumental archival prints—Origins, Emergence, Sapiens, and Modernity—they narrate significant epochs of cosmic evolution, natural history, human civilization, and contemporary life. Complementing these prints are 800 looping video animations, generated from the same prompts, adding dynamic texture to the project. Together, these elements form a richly layered work, epic in historical scope yet intimate and evocative in detail.
Each of the large print compositions, crafted through a combination of hand-work and custom algorithms developed by Salavon, seamlessly integrates hundreds of generative elements into fluid, continuous visual tapestries. These blur distinctions between discrete images, forming a continuous narrative flow that reflects both historical continuity and generative experimentation.
Underlying this endeavor is SPIM (Salavon’s Pathology Inducing Machine), a custom-built generative AI system designed by Salavon. SPIM pushes generative AI beyond familiar aesthetic boundaries, exploring "off-manifold" visual terrains —spaces of ambiguity and unpredictability—to produce imagery that’s both visually compelling and unexpected.
By merging advanced AI methods, extensive cultural research, and aesthetic inquiry, History Painting sparks interdisciplinary conversations amongst the arts, technology, and encyclopedic narratives, prompting reflection on how contemporary technologies.
Edition of 5 (+2 APs) archival pigment print
73.5 x 42 in.
Hinged and float framed in hardwood
Signed on verso
This token represents the ownership over the unique, original print, to be received by the token holder. The original purchaser of this artwork will receive the physical framed print, with shipping paid by the collector. Upon resale, the accompanying physical work shall be shipped to the new owner at their cost.
