Bas Uterwijk, aka Ganbrood, (1968, Amsterdam) is an artist with a background in special effects, 3D animation, video games, and photography. His work explores visual storytelling that distorts reality, a theme he\u2019s pursued throughout his career.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Since 2019, Ganbrood has been working with artificial intelligence to create lifelike portraits of people who lived before photography or never existed. He began minting NFTs on the Tezos blockchain in 2021, evolving his work to include more abstract, \u201cpseudo-figurative\u201d pieces, where he explores the boundaries between creativity and human visual recognition.<\/p>\n
In this insightful interview, Ganbrood dives into his artistic journey, from photography to AI-generated art. He discusses his fascination with figures like Vincent van Gogh, the balance between randomness and control in his creative process, and the challenges of working with AI. Ganbrood also touches on the tension between figurative and abstract art in his work, and how AI is reshaping the meaning of originality in art.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n
\n
BW: Can you start by telling me a little bit about yourself as an artist and your creative journey?<\/strong><\/p>\n G: Okay, I have been making some form of applied visual art all my life, but only since 2019, I picked up GANs and AI. I\u2019ve always been into special effects, video editing, post-processing, compositing, 3D animation. I did some art directing for Sony on video games. And I\u2019ve been a photographer for 14 years.<\/p>\n BW: So before you got into GANs and AI, you were a photographer. Was that your line of work?<\/strong><\/p>\n G: That was my line of work. I was mostly photographing people, so that kind of stopped during the pandemic. Suddenly, I didn\u2019t have any contracts anymore, but I was already spending most of my free time generating images through AI. Suddenly, I had a lot more time to do that. At the same time, I needed a way to make a living, so I started selling my AI works on Hic et Nunc, on Tezos. And, well, I\u2019ve been doing this for four years now.<\/p>\n BW: As a photographer, you spent many years refining your vision and your ability to capture that. I\u2019m curious how you balance the randomness of working with a machine and the control necessary to preserve or realize your artistic vision.<\/strong><\/p>\n G: Well, I\u2019ve never been a studio photographer. I always relied on things that were happening naturally, and I never directed or staged my subjects. So, I\u2019m very familiar with the process of randomness and serendipity, and photography is not that different from AI in that regard.<\/p>\n BW: It\u2019s interesting to think of the world as your generative algorithm when you\u2019re holding a camera and just looking for something to shoot.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Do things like video, AR, or VR play into your plans for the future?<\/strong><\/p>\n G: No, there are a few small exceptions, but I personally don\u2019t like working with moving AI. There are a couple of reasons. One is that I really believe in the power of a still image, and I think any artwork should be finished in the mind of the viewer. If you give too much away\u2014if you chew it all out for them\u2014then there\u2019s little left to guess. So, I think video has to be even more perfect than a still image. As I said, I worked as an animator before, so I know a little about animation, movement, tempo, rhythm. I just decided I don\u2019t have the time or energy to invest in moving AI. Also, 99% of what I see in animated AI doesn\u2019t really get to me.<\/p>\n BW: Can you tell me the story behind the work that you will be exhibiting in Paris with MakersPlace?<\/strong><\/p>\n G: Yes. I don\u2019t start with a clear concept\u2014it\u2019s more about traveling through a latent space, producing images, and following my intuition. I end up in places I couldn\u2019t have imagined, but that feel familiar.<\/p>\n This is a triptych. When I started minting NFTs, the AI resolution was low, so I joined multiple images to increase the pixel count. That became a storytelling tool\u2014viewers piece things together in their minds, and I like that.<\/p>\n A couple of recurring elements in my work are blending classical art styles and focusing on background details, like patterns in dresses and wallpaper. The models often prioritize the foreground, but I\u2019m interested in what\u2019s happening behind that. I aim for something between figurative and abstract because it sparks the most reactions from viewers\u2014and from myself. That\u2019s a signature in my work. While I still create figurative pieces, the middle one here invites more guessing, which I find more engaging.<\/p>\n BW: I noticed a kind of impressionism in your work\u2014creating an impression of human figures that, upon closer inspection, aren\u2019t really human. <\/strong>Kepler\u2019s Cabal<\/em><\/strong> is a great example. There are many literary references in your work, like Shakespeare and Kepler. Is the linguistic side of prompting part of your practice?<\/strong><\/p>\n G: It\u2019s not. Most of my work, like this image, is created through visual input. I started in 2019, before prompting even existed, so I worked a lot with input images and still do, often using my own photography.<\/p>\n I never used to title my work because I felt it could limit interpretation, but in the NFT space, titles became important. I started to enjoy giving images titles, though they aren\u2019t always as serious as they seem.<\/p>\n Kepler\u2019s Cabal<\/em> is from a series based on Somnium<\/em>, an early science fiction novel. While this title isn\u2019t AI-generated, I\u2019ve been experimenting with AI-generated titles, like fake Van Gogh quotes for my Van Gogh portrait series. I love how AI mimics things we think are real, both in images and language. A made-up image with a made-up title feels right.<\/p>\n BW: Let\u2019s put a pin in the Van Gogh pictures for now and move on to <\/strong>Chlorophyll Fluorescence<\/em><\/strong>. Many artists worry that AI will enable others to rip off their style. Your work is very original, but there are touchstones, like Moebius, Art Nouveau, and Ukiyo-e. How do you think about personal style with AI, given these influences?<\/strong><\/p>\n G: Well, you mentioned Moebius\u2014he was brilliant, and he was influenced by artists like Hiroshi Yoshida and early Japanese artists. If you look deeply, you can see those influences in his work. I think that\u2019s true for any artist.<\/p>\n Of course, I\u2019m influenced by Moebius (Jean Giraud). What he did was amazing. While there\u2019s an ethical debate in AI, I don\u2019t see it as different from other art forms in terms of influence or homage\u2014nothing new is happening that hasn\u2019t before.<\/p>\n BW: I tend to agree. I think a large chunk of the concern that\u2019s justifiable is not artists ripping off other artists\u2014that\u2019s as old as art itself\u2014but rather corporations using a style without fair compensation. It\u2019s like a brand hiring someone who sounds just like Bruce Springsteen or Tom Waits to do a song for a commercial.<\/strong><\/p>\n G: Or OpenAI ripping Scarlett Johansson\u2019s voice after she said no, and then being totally dishonest about it, because everybody could hear they tried to mimic her. That\u2019s horrible<\/p>\n BW: This body of work feels more like world-building, with photorealistic characters\u2014kind of what Moebius might do if he had a camera. It seems more story-focused, while your other work feels like a pure aesthetic experience. How do you balance storytelling with that more abstract, aesthetic approach like in <\/strong>Chlorophyll Fluorescence<\/em><\/strong>?<\/strong><\/p>\n G: I\u2019m not sure Chlorophyll Fluorescence<\/em> is purely aesthetic\u2014I try to create an atmosphere that might provoke stories. But the other works definitely feel more like something out of a fantasy or sci-fi movie.<\/p>\n I\u2019m torn between these two directions. I grew up admiring comics, concept design for video games, and sci-fi movies like Blade Runner and Star Wars. I was also in special effects and 3D animation for a while, so it\u2019s hard not to go in that direction.<\/p>\n I created 1,000 very figurative images, but decided not to sell them. That\u2019s not what I want to be known for, but I still love doing it. The more abstract work feels more connected to me as an artist.<\/p>\n BW: Do you see a life for those 1,000 pieces beyond being shared on Instagram, like the way Moebius collaborated with Jodorowsky on <\/strong>Incal<\/em><\/strong>?<\/strong><\/p>\n G: I\u2019m a huge fan of Incal<\/em> and would love to collaborate that way. But I\u2019m very particular about my work. I\u2019ve tried collaborations, but it\u2019s so personal that it rarely works. I wouldn\u2019t say never, but no plans for now.<\/p>\n BW: I imagine collaborating might clash with your desire to keep things open-ended. Let\u2019s move on. These pieces feel much more like the pure aesthetic experience you\u2019re known for. They have an impressionistic feel, like a picture of something that\u2019s not really there. Where do these fit in?<\/strong><\/p>\n G: I agree. These pieces are about randomness in play. AI makes it easier for me to create because it\u2019s not all on me. I\u2019ve always wanted to be an artist, but drawing was frustrating\u2014I could only see the parts I didn\u2019t like.<\/p>\n That changed with photography. It combined skill with serendipity\u2014right angle, right light, those little moments that make a photo special. I need that randomness. AI is perfect for that.<\/p>\n BW: Let\u2019s talk about your Van Gogh series. Where did it start, and what keeps you coming back to it?<\/strong><\/p>\n G: When I started with AI, one of the tools I used was a model that did human faces. I began by reconstructing a damaged photo of Billy the Kid, which made me think, why not create portraits of people who lived before photography, or who were rarely photographed, like Van Gogh\u2014or even people who didn\u2019t exist, like the Statue of Liberty?<\/p>\n As a photographer, I know a good portrait combines technical skill and aesthetics, but the real goal is to breathe life into the subject. Van Gogh was only photographed once at 19, and he was camera-shy, so he escaped most photos. But he was obsessed with his own face, painting himself over and over, probably more based on how he felt than how he looked.<\/p>\n His face is an enigma. We think we know how he looked through his self-portraits, but do we really? That mystery drew me in. In the end, though, portraits often say more about the artist than the subject. With AI, curation is key. I generate hundreds, sometimes thousands, of outcomes, and it\u2019s all about choosing the right one.<\/p>\n BW: Could you walk me through your daily workflow and how you approach projects?<\/strong><\/p>\n G: Yeah, it\u2019s because I work so intuitively, it just doesn\u2019t work if I have a specific idea and try to work on it methodically. I\u2019ve tried many times because that\u2019s a nice way to make something if you have a deadline or an ambition in a certain direction, but I always fail.<\/p>\n So, the thing is, I wake up, have breakfast with my wife and son. My kid goes to school early, so that gets me out of bed at a reasonable time, and I just start playing. Sometimes it takes me half a day or a whole day to get into that zone where things start happening. It can be painful as well\u2014sometimes I do this for seven days straight, and nothing comes out, and that\u2019s horrible.<\/p>\n I spend a lot of time reminding myself that it doesn\u2019t matter, and that it will come. But when it works, when you hit something, when you kind of hit a vein of gold, it\u2019s great\u2014but it\u2019s rare. The weird thing is, I suddenly have this tool, and for things to be special, they need to be rare. That\u2019s just how it works. It\u2019s like if you really like cake\u2014if you have two cakes a day, it\u2019s not special anymore. You just want it on that special birthday. It\u2019s the same thing with art.<\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t matter how easy it is to make, or how low the effort is\u2014the actual action can be easy, but that makes it frustrating sometimes when I find something I think, \u201cOh, this could go somewhere, this is interesting,\u201d and then I start pursuing it, and I get nowhere. It\u2019s this coincidence I\u2019m looking for.\u00a0<\/p>\n I use the analogy of walking through a flea market\u2014you can\u2019t force things to happen. You have to relax, take your time, look around, and suddenly you see something you like, and it\u2019s affordable, and you can take it home. That\u2019s how my days go.<\/p>\n BW: What kind of work would you have made if you were born 100 years earlier?<\/strong><\/p>\n G: I think art made now usually has some kind of component that couldn\u2019t have been made 100 years ago. I want to see that novelty in others\u2019 work and in my own. I think art should be about me and the world and how we relate, and that\u2019s influenced by what\u2019s happening today.\u00a0<\/p>\n So, 100 years ago\u2014well, there are a couple of clues in my work. I really like Art Nouveau and the way the Japanese drew. It\u2019s very close to comics that started in the \u201940s and \u201950s, like people such as Herg\u00e9 with Tintin. These are influences. I guess I would\u2019ve done some equivalent of AI 100 years ago, but I wouldn\u2019t do something people had been doing for hundreds of years.<\/p>\n Photography would have been interesting 100 years ago. It wasn\u2019t very new anymore, but there was still so much to discover.<\/p>\n BW: Do you have any wildly ambitious, unrealized projects?<\/strong><\/p>\n G: No, I have stuff in my head, but as I said before, it\u2019s not crystallized yet. As soon as I can put something on paper, I\u2019ll try to do it. But for now, I just follow where it takes me. I was never a person with\u2014I wouldn\u2019t say strong ambitions\u2014but I was never a person with clear ambitions. That makes it hard sometimes to get out of bed\u2014not literally\u2014but, you know, why am I doing this? Who am I doing it for? I don\u2019t have a clear goal, but at the same time, I think there\u2019s something deep inside me that wants to express itself.<\/p>\n BW: There\u2019s amazing creative strength in that, and it\u2019s evident in the way you work through intuition. That always begets different results than someone who comes in with a set project and a clear vision. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s hindering you in any way.<\/strong><\/p>\n G: No, it feels like it is, but I\u2019ve learned to see that it isn\u2019t. It\u2019s weird, but in hindsight, I think I always wanted to be an artist who expresses himself. I\u2019m almost 56 now, and I think I\u2019ve been doing this well. It started a little with photography, but it really took off when I started working with AI. I think I\u2019ve finally found what I\u2019ve been looking for\u2014a good way to express myself as an artist.<\/p>\n \n\t\t<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXdrDbasch3RpUiGyqB7XUkTf6SOG-ga5YCvIt_qGpqWu0Kg0Ksg9EBlGihXrSXTJhREu74E_HRSFCtKB1IOSpkV74LyxeigwPGtvwupfp2PKSxjLRt936P7uAWfdh8eyZ-01bo9mACVfAIes6EaPlaVQiTX?key=zazrU5WhOrWSmrwHF7F8qg\")
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\nFor updates on all of our upcoming editorial features and artist interviews, subscribe to our newsletter below.<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rare.makersplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Ganbrood-Care.jpg?resize=576%2C1024&ssl=1)
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXeDd1QtJ9YuYvfaMQ0V3Qm3Gc-CwNsgOsUxlHq1zYi-wN-P0kIClL8VvSjrrE69t_WuGinDVg85QA61T4pmiMLvGekmtd6Pdk-miKI_X1q7RL4CAAta6Co1kkCo3tL-4CHE7NxoEtMh4VvlP-_5-wqYrt2x?key=zazrU5WhOrWSmrwHF7F8qg\")
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXfAH1HhSHZ8VNT7orVGhU4JsvBRIuS_9FEfPot4LNaqT7CBB-cYkauSAh4jjVbdhrr2v3H_uJLX_CTTlnMoG_KEKN3Htc2BQ8amZtkLstCAXl2jGXHT5iVn8bjxxcbcrDKnfpo43oX9x2z7G2rkA6f-2YA?key=zazrU5WhOrWSmrwHF7F8qg\")
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXftoUPtqAYwJp4Cjy3zFHGP1Z1mqpfdefYXKHR_7iHIKMFGK0239tAXKKMKf4aGIt7ftN6u5ITRdVI3avwU-nuPDbXuxEEPt_dSQiHj6gL5KxwH1ASJ9N1jt3wUMfjwnwX7qQdyme_F1i7_zAbtywfGF9I?key=zazrU5WhOrWSmrwHF7F8qg\")
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXe7Pul5ua-uwY-a-bLmF83C-nBAnRALEthPBD3CETUZzuVgKyR0o0RCYCVUFhRr1x1i-d-zxXy8bN3MYot-aX9z3sTEygGhAQlEYSYxPhulSxNYwAiHLWlps0coth2187UDZXAhXHRD_VqCEgEny6fKDJkN?key=zazrU5WhOrWSmrwHF7F8qg\")
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXeSs_z5R6lUa8vDNUDsh7qsuCetSl_E0C8ViW9SmliXGjzBuE2BINuJhH1wk-wsAF3N0vO9LRHLuni-hTPSba37nYsc1XMTGS1L5fvt6gKBG6U0xTLdodH1MU2tSXUL3HvozQKQYpmXd41yOSuOzfYleSJh?key=zazrU5WhOrWSmrwHF7F8qg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rare.makersplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Ganbrood-2024-Exhibition.jpg?resize=576%2C1024&ssl=1)
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXd7lFxrwpCURIbTmQKN3ChMXeEmbPcGx4JMhdgxDfTe_LUUlyR0t3Qlytymr2mwnB7qGzzVCcdX9732SUajUvkC_7zQejJAd4oaC_HgIDTylBelx8ccqIH22_CST7K4MXJht8pRvlIbg5XR51Pqba4tTgxR?key=zazrU5WhOrWSmrwHF7F8qg\")