Cyanne van den Houten’s exhibition ‘Unstable Image’ brings together robot-like sculptures made with the help of algorithms. Each of the sculptures has its own logic, life and character that are determined by everyday technology. In the central chat box, they talk to each other and fantasise about each other’s messages. They speculate on Utrecht’s hidden history of queerness and female computer scientists and draw parallels between witchcraft and technology. Together, Van den Houten and the robots invite visitors to think about the non-binary and magical potential of artificial intelligence, but also about its ethical, social and artistic implications.

The network and sound have been developed in partnership with Ymer Marinus. The exhibition also features two works by art-meets-tech collective Telemagic (a collaboration between Ymer Marinus, Roos Groothuizen and Cyanne van den Houten).

Cyanne van den Houten was the recipient of the 2022 K.F. Hein Stipend. The K.F. Hein Fund awards this prize every two years to artists and designers from the province of Utrecht, enabling them to create new works to be shown in the Centraal Museum’s project space Utrecht Lokaal. Through this partnership, the K.F. Hein Fund and the Centraal Museum give artists and designers from the province of Utrecht the opportunity to develop artistically and to build their public profile.

Image: Cyanne van den Houten, Unstable Image