Original artwork description:

Fragmented Reflections in Synthetic Light

In “Unknown Guy Pink”, French artist Jérôme Cholet continues his exploration of portraiture through a fractured lens — literally and metaphorically. Executed in a striking palette dominated by fluorescent magenta, the work juxtaposes a hyperreal close-up of a male face with a structural grid that suggests both containment and division.

The piece is composed using Cholet’s signature technique: photographic collage, painted overlays, and a final coat of epoxy resin that adds a sleek, almost screen-like finish. At first glance, it recalls the aesthetics of 1980s airbrush realism or early digital image editing — but beneath its glossy surface lies a meditation on identity, perception, and emotional distance in the age of technology.

The face, only partially visible, is segmented by seven rectangular panes. These divisions do not merely break the image — they transform it. The composition references windows, surveillance monitors, or perhaps the fragmented thumbnails of a video call. The luminous pink overlay is both seductive and alienating, casting the subject in a synthetic glow that evokes artificial intelligence, augmented reality, or filtered digital imagery. This isn’t portraiture in the traditional sense; it’s an interrogation of what it means to be seen — or half-seen — in the contemporary visual landscape.

Unlike the dramatic pathos of Cholet’s earlier works such as “Augusta Cry”, this piece is quieter in tone, more reserved in its emotional pitch. But the restraint is deliberate. The cool, composed gaze, the geometric precision, and the neon coloration all suggest a kind of post-human beauty — controlled, curated, and filtered through machines.

“AI Guy Pink” could easily sit in dialogue with the works of Thomas Ruff, Gillian Wearing, or even Cindy Sherman’s recent ventures into digitally manipulated self-portraiture. Yet Cholet’s approach remains distinct in its physicality — the layers of resin and pigment invite a tactile engagement that counters the digital themes within.

In a time when faces are constantly mediated by screens, filters, and algorithms, “AI Guy Pink” asks us to pause and consider: what remains authentic? What is performance? And what is the emotional cost of our filtered realities?

It is a contemplative, sophisticated addition to Cholet’s growing body of work, one that rewards close looking and slow reflection — a rare and welcome quality in today’s image-saturated world.

Materials used:

Photo, Paper, Spray Paint, Epoxy resin

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