World Premiere Exhibition at Art Basel Season: "Smoke and Mirrors" Delving into the Perils of Misinformation and Artificial Deception

Art Basel & Miami Art Week are set to kick off with an extraordinary group exhibition that brings together some of the world's most renowned contemporary artists. This premier event offers a profound exploration of the contemporary challenges posed by disinformation, conspiracy theories, deepfakes, and misleading artificial technologies. "Smoke and Mirrors: Magical Thinking in Contemporary Art in Palm Beach County" is a significant group show, featuring the works of 30 distinguished artists, including Tony Oursler, Urs Fischer, Alfredo Jaar, Sarah Charlesworth, Christian Jankowski, Faisal Abdu'Allah, Mark Thomas Gibson, Kristin Lucas, Jane Hammond, and many others. The exhibition is hosted at the Boca Raton Museum of Art and is scheduled to run from November 18 to May 12.

Among the diverse artworks showcased by these 30 artists, visitors can experience a unique interactive installation created by Jacob Hicks. This installation incorporates ChatGPT Artificial Intelligence, offering a captivating opportunity for interaction. Additionally, the museum has crafted a video addressing the phenomenon of deepfakes, aptly titled "DEEPFAKE-O-RAMA."

Hicks' new artwork introduces viewers to an innovative experience, allowing them to engage in conversations with a virtual magician. The answers they receive are generated by ChatGPT A.I., which has been specifically trained by Hicks to imagine itself as an ancient entity capable of foreseeing the future, all while being aware of its role as part of an art project. This self-awareness extends to the AI's deliberate portrayal of a fabricated persona, in line with Hicks' creative vision.

The "Smoke and Mirrors" exhibition promises a thought-provoking exploration of the contemporary challenges posed by the ever-evolving landscape of disinformation and artificial deception. It offers a unique platform for artists to shed light on the multifaceted issues of our time and engage with audiences in innovative ways. As Art Basel Season opens on November 18, visitors can look forward to an enlightening experience at the intersection of art and technology.

Tony Oursler pictured in his art installation

This timely exploration provides an in-depth examination of contemporary deceptions, frequently engineered to advance political or financial agendas, all happening right before our eyes. The hoaxes of today, as well as the blatant falsehoods that inundate social media, often owe their existence to cutting-edge technology, yet they find echoes in earlier episodes of American history.

Out of the myriad museum exhibitions gracing South Florida during Art Basel Season, this singular exhibition stands as the exclusive representative for the entire southeastern United States to have earned the esteemed Teiger Foundation 2023 Grant Award for Curator-Led Projects. It belongs to a select group of only 13 museum shows chosen nationwide in the Single Exhibition category, celebrating the innovative and boundary-pushing curatorial work on display.

Alfredo Jaar's Self-Portrait

The pieces featured in this exhibition offer a penetrating glimpse through the veil of illusion and belief. Although the art of performance magic is certainly celebrated, many of these artists are renowned for addressing the complex challenges surrounding disinformation, hoaxes, cults, conspiracy theories, "alternative facts," and the proliferation of deceptive artificial technologies in our society. When these deepfakes are unveiled, they often lay bare a more profound truth.

One of the Creature Features Installations by Tony Oursler

The most expansive gallery within the exhibition undergoes a remarkable metamorphosis, courtesy of Tony Oursler, into an ethereal realm titled "Creature Features." Oursler has been commissioned by the museum to create a series of fresh installations, delving into what the artist refers to as the "subtle interplay between imagination, mysticism, and scientific innovation." Drawing inspiration from American folklore, legends, and historical hoaxes reminiscent of contemporary urban myths, visitors will step into a surreal dimension where the artist's collection of the extraordinary springs to life. Oursler's installations often leave viewers feeling disoriented and captivated as they step into his imaginative creations.

Jeannette Andrews

The museum enlisted the talents of the artist Jeannette Andrews, who is not only an artist but also a professional magician, to craft an innovative interactive piece known as "magi.cia.n." This work draws inspiration from the recently declassified CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception, authored by two professional magicians.

Within the museum, she has designed a "clean room," an enclosed, see-through enclosure with two openings furnished with gloves. Visitors can use these gloves to flip through an empty journal, which, through a captivating visual transformation, morphs before their eyes, first into a magical tome and then into a technical manual used for spy craft.

Images Courtesy of the Boca Raton Museum of Art

The convenient and modern Brightline high-speed rail station is within walking distance of the Boca Raton Museum, with a complimentary shuttle service available. This intercity rail station conveniently connects Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, and Orlando. For additional information, please visit https://www.gobrightline.com/train-stations/fl/boca-raton . Don't miss this extraordinary exhibition as it takes center stage during Art Basel Season.