@article{ART003351043},
author={Taehyun Kwon},
title={How Art Mediates Labor in the Automatic Society: AI and the Aesthetics of Relations of Production},
journal={Journal of History of Modern Art},
issn={1598-7728},
year={2026},
number={59},
pages={105-125}
TY - JOUR
AU - Taehyun Kwon
TI - How Art Mediates Labor in the Automatic Society: AI and the Aesthetics of Relations of Production
JO - Journal of History of Modern Art
PY - 2026
VL - null
IS - 59
PB - 현대미술사학회
SP - 105
EP - 125
SN - 1598-7728
AB - This study examines how contemporary art mediates changes in labor structures driven by AI and widespread automation. While AI is frequently discussed as a new artistic tool, this optimism obscures a fundamental shift in the material conditions of labor and relations of production. This research questions the hidden labor behind AI's polished outputs, analyzing it using the aesthetics of relations of production. Extending the methodology of Claire Bishop’s “Delegated Performance,” this study shifts focus from neoliberal labor outsourcing to the current automatic society. Following Bernard Stiegler, automation exteriorizes human cognition, subordinating practical knowledge to algorithms. Drawing on Matteo Pasquinelli, it frames AI as the “Eye of the Master” that extracts collective intelligence to manage human labor. Through this theoretical lens, this study analyzes tactical artistic interventions. Lauren Lee McCarthy acts as a smart home system to manually perform AI tasks, exposing structures automation conceals. Elisa Giardina Papa remediates images collected while working as an AI trainer, critiquing machine vision and ghost labor. Ultimately, this research argues that contemporary art critically reconstructs the relations of production underlying AI. By revealing structures of labor and reinventing human-machine interactions, these practices establish a critical position in the era of advanced automation.
KW - automatic society;artificial intelligence;relations of production;delegated performance;operative images
DO -
UR -
ER -
Taehyun Kwon. (2026). How Art Mediates Labor in the Automatic Society: AI and the Aesthetics of Relations of Production. Journal of History of Modern Art, 59, 105-125.
Taehyun Kwon. 2026, "How Art Mediates Labor in the Automatic Society: AI and the Aesthetics of Relations of Production", Journal of History of Modern Art, no.59, pp.105-125.
Taehyun Kwon "How Art Mediates Labor in the Automatic Society: AI and the Aesthetics of Relations of Production" Journal of History of Modern Art 59 pp.105-125 (2026) : 105.
Taehyun Kwon. How Art Mediates Labor in the Automatic Society: AI and the Aesthetics of Relations of Production. 2026; 59 : 105-125.
Taehyun Kwon. "How Art Mediates Labor in the Automatic Society: AI and the Aesthetics of Relations of Production" Journal of History of Modern Art no.59(2026) : 105-125.
Taehyun Kwon. How Art Mediates Labor in the Automatic Society: AI and the Aesthetics of Relations of Production. Journal of History of Modern Art, 59, 105-125.
Taehyun Kwon. How Art Mediates Labor in the Automatic Society: AI and the Aesthetics of Relations of Production. Journal of History of Modern Art. 2026; 59 105-125.
Taehyun Kwon. How Art Mediates Labor in the Automatic Society: AI and the Aesthetics of Relations of Production. 2026; 59 : 105-125.
Taehyun Kwon. "How Art Mediates Labor in the Automatic Society: AI and the Aesthetics of Relations of Production" Journal of History of Modern Art no.59(2026) : 105-125.
