For a moment, leave reality behind and come with me. Let’s see what else is possible.
With these words Gizem Akdag wants to introduce us to her art and the imaginary, dreamlike world she manages to bring to life, with the help of an increasingly debated modern tool: Artificial Intelligence.

Those created by the young Turkish artist are realities made up of elements we all know, assembled in such an unexpected and original way that they become new, immediately catapulting the viewer into the surreal world she has imagined.

In her interviews she often talks about how Turkey, and in particular her hometown Ankara, are a great source of inspiration and influence for her work. This Turkish spirit is reflected above all in the sport-themed works the artist creates. Looking at football, surfing, tennis or golf, Akdag decodes each sport in its most interesting peculiarities, then transports it into a magical universe made of vivid colors and backgrounds that seem to come straight out of paintings. All to create snapshots with unexpected pairings and a surreal flavor.

The artist also creates many images of pristine natural landscapes, or images featuring people and animals that are chromatically in tune with their surroundings, also approaching the world of fashion in her work through a style that, like all her compositions, has something unreal and magical about it.

These are all different influences that come together perfectly in her work, creating something new and aesthetically pleasing. As she herself puts it, “…I like combining references from completely different worlds and observing what emerges from these encounters. If I had to choose a single influence, it would be retrofuturism […] it blends nostalgia for the past with entirely new possibilities“. And this is exactly the feeling her work evokes in the viewer: a peaceful, balanced nostalgia set within a new, dreamlike dimension. A true parallel world.

Gizem Akdag doesn’t work only with static images; she also engages in genuine visual storytelling, as with the video Dream. A stream of images coming to life, presenting an imaginary world that all of us would love to be absorbed into. A different reality, full of extraordinary possibilities. And perhaps this is exactly what Akdag aims to present through her work, a new world, created with the help of modern technologies.

The artist addresses this very theme, speaking to those who fear artistic identity might get lost, replaced by the machine.

Gizem Akdag’s example shows us that Artificial Intelligence, when used consciously, can be an interesting ally, full of potential, pushing toward new possibilities. Because when there is vision, everything else remains a tool for realizing the idea, never a means capable of replacing the true genius behind every creative work: the humanity and taste of the artist.

This article was produced in collaboration with Luigi Falanga and Gaia Forlin aka @super8otto.