On 16 May, Duerr Gallery in central Stockholm will open the group exhibition Errare humanum est. Painting at the Time of Artificial Intelligence, featuring five Estonian painters: Vano Allsalu, Gerda Hansen, Siiri Jüris, Carl-Robert Kagge, and Mart Vainre. The exhibition is curated by Stella Mõttus (Tartu Art Museum).
The exhibition presents different generations of Estonian painters exploring how contemporary painting relates to the growing presence of artificial intelligence and digital imagery. Rather than approaching AI as a threat to painting in the same way photography was perceived 200 years ago, the exhibition considers it a contemporary condition that artists increasingly encounter and negotiate through artistic practice.
The participating artists do not use AI to create so-called perfect paintings or to conceal its use. Instead, artificial intelligence functions in their works as a tool or, quite literally, a dialogue partner, generating unexpected solutions and images that a single human mind alone might not arrive at. The exhibition brings together painting with digital imagery, 3D modelling, data analysis, post-internet aesthetics, and machine-generated visuals.
The exhibition title Errare humanum est refers to the idea that error is intrinsic to human creativity. While imperfection has long been a natural part of painting, the participating artists also approach the unexpected shifts, interruptions, and “errors” generated by artificial intelligence as a conscious creative method.
Estonia has long been associated with rapid technological development and a strong digital identity. In recent years, the integration of artificial intelligence into everyday life and public discourse has become increasingly visible, while discussions surrounding its impact have remained largely focused on technology and economics, leaving perspectives from culture and the humanities more in the background.
The exhibition continues a longer-term curatorial research project initiated in 2022, at a moment when ChatGPT and other publicly accessible generative AI tools were only beginning to reshape public discussions surrounding image-making and creativity. In 2024, the project resulted in one of the first exhibitions in Estonia to address the relationship between painting and artificial intelligence, curated by Liisa Kaljula, Head of the Painting Collection at Kumu Art Museum. Since then, the participating artists have continued exploring the rapidly evolving role of AI-generated imagery within contemporary painting and visual culture.
Duerr Gallery is located in the Stockholm Gallery District, where galleries such as Coulisse, Antics, Berg, Cecilia Hillström, and Larsen / Warner also operate in the same building. Duerr Gallery represents the Estonian artist Siiri Jüris.
The exhibition will remain open until 27 June 2026.
The exhibition is supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.
Selection of works: link to folder
Further information:
Stella Mõttus, curator
+372 5599 9609
[email protected]
Deborah Duerr, gallery director
[email protected]
+46 70 307 34 32