“How will we cope?” asked Andy Denzler, sitting among his latest body of work on display at the Opera Gallery on Madison Ave and E 67th St. He’s referring to our collective need to come to grips with advancing technology and artificial intelligence. In Hybrid Souls, Denzler poses questions about the use of AI in art, human entanglement with the digital world, and our relationships with ourselves. Combining intimate yet blurred portraiture of young figures — a signature of Denzler’s previous works, seen in “Fractured” and “Introspection” — with complex, large-scale compositions, Denzler paints an emotive portrait of the shifting nature of identity amid a technological landscape.

Denzler, born in Zürich, Switzerland, studied at the Zürich art school Kunstgewerbeschule and earned a Master of fine arts from Chelsea College of Art and Design in London. He got his start in photography, and from there forayed into abstract painting — evident in his loose, impressionistic brush strokes. There is little commitment to realism, and yet each piece offers aspects of detailed and truthful depiction. Fragmented, incongruous lines, when smoothed over the subjects’ faces in certain sections, give the appearance of a crystal clear reality separated from the viewer by a translucent plane of glass. Denzler’s realism lies behind a sheen of mystery and disconnection. 

Denzler draws inspiration for his paintings from a composition of images, assembled before the paintbrush hits the canvas — a combination of his own photography and imagery from other sources. In his newer works featured in this exhibition, Denzler has begun incorporating AI-generated images into the collection of images he works from.

Even without knowledge of the source material, it’s difficult not to conjure up the digital world when looking at his portraiture. The striations in the paint evoke imagery of computerized glitches, while beautiful, feminine subjects are posed dynamically and delicately underneath these complex, blurred textures. Denzler’s neutral color palette adds another dimension to the obscured faces — the muted colors camouflage his subjects. His portrayal of a hidden reality, lying just below a blurred veneer, is an apt metaphor for how the digital world has changed how we represent ourselves and the way AI has transformed our conception of humanity and self. Denzler’s work prompts the viewer to consider who they are underneath the layers of technological function that have come to dominate our lives.

AI and the creation of art intersect at a controversial point, and its use continues to raise pressing questions. Denzler sees AI as a tool, which is not dissimilar from his use of photography in the composition of his paintings. “I’m going to squeeze it [AI] like a lemon,” Denzler said at Hybrid Souls’ opening reception. To him, it’s another paintbrush an artist can wield. However, Denzler’s use of AI does not detract from the traditional painting process. “I’m interested in the act of painting itself … the mark-making, the linework,” he said.

The touch of a human hand is decidedly visible in these paintings. They’re messy. Emotion drips from each stroke. Stark, quick lines convey a sense of movement and life. The larger, collage-style paintings command attention — although they represent similar subjects, the grander scale allows for more chaos, confusion, and interaction between strokes and colors, making for an interesting, complex construction. 

Influenced by the increasing demands and opportunities of the digital age, Denzler’s expressive paintings seem to evolve alongside our shifting understanding of identity. It’s reassuring to see an enduring loyalty to the physical dimension, although Denzler’s art does prompt us to wonder: how long will that last?

Hybrid Souls will be on display at the Opera Gallery from March 20 to April 12.