“OR YOU COULD PANIC” BEN ASHTON
““Or You Could Panic is a new collection of paintings on hand-shaped panels, exploring my ambivalence toward artificial intelligence and its growing impact on the art world and society.””
Corey Helford Gallery (CHG) in Downtown Los Angeles is preparing to showcase Or You Could Panic, a groundbreaking solo exhibition by British contemporary artist Ben Ashton, premiering on March 15th. The exhibition, which runs through April 19th, marks a major milestone in Ashton’s career—his largest show to date and his first solo exhibition at CHG. Known for his mastery of blending classical portraiture with contemporary anxieties and cutting-edge technology, Ashton invites viewers to witness the collision of identity, history, and the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on art and society.
In this new body of work, Ashton explores the intersection of tradition and technology. Drawing from datasets of his past paintings, portraits of his family, and imagined worlds, Ashton uses AI learning models to create figures that are both familiar and disorienting. These portraits, which feature people who don’t exist in realities that can never be inhabited, evoke unsettling feelings of nostalgia and existential tension. In his words, "Or You Could Panic" encapsulates the ambivalence he feels toward AI’s growing influence in the art world and its broader implications for the future of society.
The collection includes paintings on hand-shaped panels, a deliberate choice that further disrupts the traditional conventions of portraiture. For Ashton, the act of distorting and glitching the imagery is more than just a visual technique—it's a commentary on how societies tend to cling to the past, even when it is no longer relevant or safe. By subverting the history of portraiture, Ashton challenges the notion that nostalgia can offer comfort during times of uncertainty.
In a statement reflecting on his new work, Ashton shares, “The title Or You Could Panic captures that tension—this feeling that maybe we should panic, but also the futility of doing so.” He continues, "Through exhaustively training learning models on my family, my past works, and my imagined settings, I’ve created something that feels familiar yet deeply unsettling."
Among the works featured in the show are Just About Holding It Together (oil on panel, 34” x 28”) and Hello Sailor (oil on panel, 36” x 28”), both of which exemplify Ashton’s signature style of combining classical techniques with an unsettling technological influence. The glitch-like distortions in these pieces mirror the frayed edges of our relationship with technology, as both a tool and a threat.
The exhibition also includes works like Between the Bars (oil on panel, 37” x 29”) and the titular Or You Could Panic (oil on panel, 45” x 32”), offering a window into the artist's growing concerns about where we are headed as a society. Through his portraits, Ashton contemplates the cyclical nature of history and his personal anxieties about the uncertain future. The figures he creates, though fictional, are imbued with a sense of personal history, adding layers of meaning to their visual distortion.
Ashton’s bold use of AI is both a reflection of his frustration and fascination with the evolving role of technology in art. His works challenge the viewer to grapple with the delicate balance between past traditions and the rapidly advancing future. As we navigate an increasingly AI-driven world, Ashton’s paintings urge us to confront our collective anxieties about progress, identity, and the preservation of our humanity in the face of artificial intelligence.
Whether the viewer chooses to panic or not, Ben Ashton’s Or You Could Panic leaves us to contemplate the ever-present tension between what has been and what is to come. This is an exhibition not to be missed.
Or You Could Panic will be on view at Corey Helford Gallery in Gallery 2 from March 15th to April 19th, 2025.