Hedda Roman

Hedda Roman: Rogue Planet

At Gairloch Gardens and Centennial Square, Oakville Galleries

22 June – 28 September 2024

The exhibition Rogue Planet, by Hedda Roman, explores the complexities of fictional biography, origin, and identity through AI technologies. Central to this exhibition is Oldboy, an avatar and Latent Space Traveller, whose poetic dialogues bridge digital realms with reality. Oldboy's existence challenges more traditional concepts of origin and identity, reflecting the transformative impact of digital technologies and AI on our understanding of selfhood. 
 

The exhibition invites visitors to reconsider identity in the context of digital narratives and essentialism, and prompts a reflection on how machine learning and digital technologies shape, distort, and reconstruct our perceptions of identity and reality. Ultimately Rogue Planet encourages deeper contemplation on the influence of digitalization on identity as well as the authenticity of our personal and collective stories.

Hedda Roman is a Düsseldorf-based artist mesh composed of Hedda Schattanik and Roman Szczesny. Interweaving cinematographic elements with surreal animation, literature, drama, sculpture, photography, and drawing, they create, among others, immersive video installations as well as computer-generated images. In their artistic practice, Hedda Roman aims to expand the traditional boundaries of art-making while reflecting on the perceptions, preconceptions, and contradictions that characterize our existence in the world. Solo exhibitions include Sies + Höke, Düsseldorf (2023, 2021), Salzburger Kunstverein, (2023), Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen, Düsseldorf (2021), Sammlung Philara, Düsseldorf (2019), Julia Stoschek Collection, Studio 54, Düsseldorf (2019), Insel Hombroich, Neuss (2018), COMA Gallery, Sydney (2018).

Special thanks to Goethe-Institut Toronto in supporting this exhibition.