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Adam Chin
Woman #1, 2021
Selenium-toned gelatin silver print, 15 x 15 inches
Edition 1/10, signed, verso
Unframed
Courtesy of the artist
Estimated value: $2,000
Woman #1 is part of a series titled "SAGAN," which stands for Self-Attention Generative Adversarial Networks. SAGAN is the name of the machine learning neural network algorithm used to generate the portrait. For Woman #1 approximately 800 photographs of the model were taken. The photographs were fed into a neural network, and the network was tasked with producing a new “photograph” that was indistinguishable from any of the original 800.
To accomplish this task, the neural network employed an iterative process where the image evolved over the course of a few thousand training cycles. In the course of this training, the neural network generated approximately 8,000 attempts at a photograph. Of those 8,000 attempts, these 16 images were selected to form the portrait of Woman #1.
About the Artist:
Adam Chin
Adam Chin is a fine art photographer who spent a career as a computer graphics artist for TV and film. He was one of the original employees of Pacific Data Images, a pioneering computer graphics studio that later became part of Dreamworks Animation. Adam did computer graphics lighting on the Shrek, Madagascar, How to Train Your Dragon, and Kung Fu Panda series of animated feature films.
Adam practices using machine learning neural networks trained on databases of real photography to render images. By augmenting traditional photography with neural networks, he explores the concept of how much information is contained in a given photograph. In doing this work, he also examines the problematic issues created by this new medium.
Adam studied photography and printmaking under Barry Umstead at Rayko Photography in San Francisco. In 2020, he was named one of the Photolucida Critical Mass Top 50 photo portfolio award winners.
Website: adamchin.com
Instagram: @adamchin100
