A Third Act: Edens Conceit
Media
Archival digital print on canvas in found gilded frame
Artist Statement
In A Third Act, Justice Apple and Mac Pierce explore the intersection of new technologies, art, and pornography, focusing on how image-making tools have historically served both purposes. From painting to photography, each advancement has provoked viewers in unique ways.
Today, AI-generated imagery allows for deepfakes, including non-consensual content through "nudifying" apps that map nude bodies onto clothed individuals.
Apple and Pierce integrate these tools into their process by photographing themselves in morph suits on period sets, anonymizing their bodies. The AI (Stable Diffusion) then overlays fabricated bodies onto their figures, erasing original features. The resulting images blur the line between reality and artifice, urging viewers to question what is real and what is constructed.