Augmented Unreality

PHOTOGRAPHY

Mar 24

Augmented Unreality is a photographic project exploring beauty in the age of artificial intelligence. It questions how technology shapes our aesthetic ideals, often distorting beauty into a superficial and homogenous concept. By blending AI-generated images with real models, photographer Norberto Pezzotta challenges the perception of beauty, advocating for inclusivity, authenticity, and the preservation of human diversity in a digital era.

Photography Norberto Pezzotta

The photographic project Augmented Unreality explores the concept of beauty and its implications in the age of artificial intelligence. We live in a time where we incessantly display the idealised version of ourselves. We showcase everything that supports a ‘perfect’ image of beauty, often based on desires and expectations rather than reality. This behaviour generates a limited and distorted perception of beauty, reducing it to a superficial perfection devoid of authenticity.

Authentic beauty is much deeper. It is not just what appears externally but is influenced by our personal experiences, memories and cultural influences. It is a reflection of who we are, a unique combination of genes and life experiences that cannot be duplicated. Beauty, therefore, is not a static concept but a dynamic and constantly evolving one, shaped by social, historical and individual contexts.

In a world increasingly dominated by artificial intelligence, the definition of beauty risks becoming more standardised, thus losing its richness and diversity. Technology tends to create and perpetuate uniform aesthetic models, based on algorithms fed by often limited and partial data. This can lead to an ideal of superficial and homogeneous beauty that does not represent the true diversity of the human experience.

“Augmented Unreality is not just an artistic exercise but also a reflection on the importance of preserving an inclusive and diverse vision of beauty.”

Norberto Pezzotta

In my creative process, I use artificial intelligence to generate images that respond to a specific creative input. Once conceived, these images are printed on paper and placed by me in the physical space of my studio to be captured, together with real models, by my camera lens.

Augmented Unreality is not just an artistic exercise but also a reflection on the importance of preserving an inclusive and diverse vision of beauty. In an era where technology has the power to redefine our aesthetic standards, it is essential that these new definitions are inclusive and representative of human variety. Only in this way can we ensure that beauty continues to authentically reflect our humanity, in all its complexity and diversity.

“Authentic beauty is much deeper. It is not just what appears externally but is influenced by our personal experiences, memories and cultural influences. It is a reflection of who we are.”

Norberto Pezzotta

About Norberto

Norberto Pezzotta (b. 1970, Bergamo, Italy) is a photographer drawn to the concept of beauty in all its forms. He gained critical acclaim with his project Augmented Unreality.

His passion for photography began at the age of twelve when he received a reflex camera as a gift during a motorcycle trip with his father. From that moment, he started experimenting with the medium.

Determined to refine his skills, he dedicated himself to photography while living in New York. Working as a marketing professional for an Italian company, he had the opportunity to frequent galleries and immerse himself in the world of photography professionals. This exposure allowed him to develop his artistic sensibility and master the fundamentals of camera work.

Upon returning to Italy, photography became his profession. Commercial work did not deter him from artistic exploration, as he continued to view images as a means of personal and intimate expression.

To see more of his work, visit his website or follow him on Instagram.

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Augmented Unreality

“Augmented Unreality is not just an artistic exercise but also a reflection on the importance of preserving an inclusive and diverse vision of beauty.”

“Authentic beauty is much deeper. It is not just what appears externally but is influenced by our personal experiences, memories and cultural influences. It is a reflection of who we are.”

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