This collage consists of pieces of artworks cut out from the magazine "Artforum". In the center is a used cover ripped from the book All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. The book cover is representative of the common criticism,"My kid could paint that!". The work is a response to the cynical, jaded, and sometimes monotonous art world. The artist states "I made it out of the pages of Artforum to show how much of the world of art is so superficial and boring" The collage is a commentary on the idea that artwork must be difficult in order to be considered artistic and on the lack of originality in the art world. The collage utilizes colorful and childlike imagery and colors. The collage is representative of the artist's frustration with the art world in general and the way it is perceived. The artist states "I don't want to see any more 'serious' art that is trying to look like junk." The work is a criticism of the showiness and pretentiousness of the art world. The artist states "I'm sick of looking at art that looks like nothing more than a bunch of crazy crap thrown together." The collage also reflects the artist's use of art history as a tool in his work. The artist created the piece by using a "cut and paste" method, which is, in part, a reference to the early 1960s pop art movement. The work is also a criticism of the way art is often displayed in museums, with only the most important pieces being displayed. The work is a commentary on the role that art plays in society. The artist states "The point of the piece is that all the pieces of art are thrown togeth­er in a way that makes them seem like they have a lot in common, even though they are from completely different genres, time periods, and styles." "The collage pieces are taken from the magazine, "Artforum". The mosaic-like assemblage has no center to speak of, except of course, the book cover. The complex piece is nonetheless legible and lucid, a critique of the art world's obses­sion with the latest, trendiest, and most marketable, be it "outsider" or "conceptu­al" art, or a parody of the mindless adoration of the latest discovery. The piece is a satire on the art world's tendency to focus on the "new" and forsake the estab­lished. The title alone, My Kid Could Do That! is a common reaction to the most banal and trivial of artworks. The piece is also a mockery of the art world's super­ficiality and obsession with novelty.( ... ) the work is a commentary on the current state of the art world, and the belief that the art one produces is not the product of talent, but rather the result of endless struggling and exhaustive efforts to find one's "voice." It is also a response to the common criticism, "My kid could do that!" that is directed towards works of art that are deemed "bad" by the art world's standards. The piece is also a mockery of the art world's superficiality and obsession with novelty." - Myrina Sansiar.

Exhibitions

Alex Reben AI-MAZING, Gazelli Art House, London, UK (2021)

Alexander Reben is an artist and MIT-trained roboticist whose work probes the inherently human nature of the artificial. Using tools such as artificial philosophy, synthetic psychology, perceptual manipulation, and cutting-edge technology, he brings to light our inseparable evolutionary entanglement to the invention, which has unarguably shaped our way of being. This “art as experiment” allows us to understand who we are and consider whom we will become in our continued co-development with our artificial creations. Reben’s artwork and research have been shown and published internationally, and he consults with major companies, guiding innovation for the future of the social machine.

Among the first artists to be producing AI oil paintings, he has exhibited at Vitra Design Museum, MAK Museum Vienna, Design Museum Ghent, Vienna Biennale, ARS Electronica alongside IDFA, Tribeca Film Festival, TFI Interactive, Camden Film Festivals, Doc/Fest and the Boston Cyberarts Gallery. His work has been covered by NPR, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Washington Post, Fast Company, Filmmaker Magazine, New Scientist, BBC, PBS, Discovery Channel, Cool Hunting and WIRED, among others. He has lectured at TED, SXSW, TTI Vanguard, Google, UC Berkeley, SMFA, CCA, MIT, and other universities. Reben has built robots for NASA and is a graduate of the MIT Media Lab, where he studied human-robot symbiosis and art. He is a 2016-2017 WIRED innovation fellow, a Stochastic Labs Resident, and visiting scholar in the UC Berkeley psychology department.