Shannon Novak - Fine Arts
Elam alumnus Shannon Novak has just concluded his exhibition “Trust. Me.” at Stanford University in the United States.
Key facts
Career: Artist, curator, activist, founder and director of Safe Space Alliance
Programme: Master of Fine Arts
“I chose to attend Elam to deepen my understanding of self and challenge my practice through disciplined study. I also saw it as a way to engage with the wider art community and industry, building connections to help ground and inform my work. It was about embracing an environment that would test boundaries, encourage growth, and help bring clarity to my creative processes.
“Elam tutors, like Simon Ingram, were highly influential on my work. They helped challenge and expand my practice, the way I conducted research, and my thought processes.
There was a sense of family and shared language at Elam. I didn't have to explain too much about who I was, and why I was.
“To current students, be open to new experiences, to feedback, and to new connections. When looking at partnerships, find spaces and people aligned with your vision, goals, and interests, and build from there.
“I’ve found that when putting yourself out there in industry, you get a lot of silence, you hear ‘no’ a lot. However, you do get a ‘yes’ every now and then, and it is often a really good ‘yes’, making all the hard work worthwhile.
“I was researching artificial intelligence (AI) and how it relates to queer communities and contemporary art practice and came across a lot of industry-leading work by Stanford University. So, I connected with the Stanford Center for AI Safety and over time this relationship expanded to other departments, including the Stanford Department of Art & Art History, eventually leading to the development of the current exhibition.
“In all cases the work critically analysed emerging technologies through the lens of contemporary art with a specific focus on its dangers to queer communities. The show at Stanford University is a warning to industry and the public of the existing and potential dangers of increasingly intelligent AI to queer communities and beyond.
“The show focuses on ‘conversational AI agents’ or chatbots that appear to be friendly companions, yet have the ability to quickly and easily dismantle lives.
“My research highlighted how closeted queer youth often turn to these chatbots for support and companionship in a world they feel they have nobody else to talk to. It explored how safe chatbots are in these roles, for example, whether they gave good advice or not, the implications, and recommended solutions.
“AI is highly integrated into our lives while ethical and safety concerns are increasingly being raised. I believe we should continually analyse, question, and feedback on its architecture. My practice highlights these concerns but also offers potential solutions. For example, for one work I built my own image-generating AI model that draws only from content I own copyright to.
“We are now at a point with AI where a common question is ‘is that real or not?’ This is examined in the show with work that is real, is AI-made, and/or a hybrid of the two. The show prompts people to consider the implications of this question, particularly around AI-generated history. It also considers future possibilities where AI-based brain-computer interfaces are the norm; as is what I’ve termed ‘neuro-computer art’ that runs on these interfaces.
“I’d like to encourage artists who want to ‘go big’ to take risks and feel confident in doing so. I’d also like to support others in community-engaged and -led work that ultimately seeks to generate positive mental health outcomes to create a better world to live in.”
Please be aware that this exhibition examines sensitive topics including depression, self-harm, and suicide.