Algorhythm of Narcissus
In Greek mythology, Narcissus fell in love with his own reflection on the water's surface, ultimately losing himself in that illusion. Today, this ancient story resurfaces as a vivid warning for our society, obsessed as we are with curated images of ourselves. Once, the internet was envisioned as an open space for limitless self-expression. Now, the screen we gaze into has become a closed ecosystem, where AI algorithms analyze our behaviors, desires, and dreams, projecting back at us idealized versions of ourselves. We internalize these algorithmically designed images—mistaking standardized beauty and manufactured success for our own genuine desires—thus perpetuating a new form of narcissism. Through morphing AI-generated self-portraits, Emi Kusano visualizes the reality of the "consumed self." By training the AI on her own facial data, Kusano critically examines how our identities have become mere raw material, reshaped by algorithms and commodified by market demands. Like mirrors endlessly reflecting within mirrors, our self-images multiply infinitely on screens until nothing remains but hollow ideals fabricated by algorithms and commercial forces. This work exposes how surveillance capitalism in the age of AI deprives us of authentic self-expression, turning us into consumable products. Kusano poses an essential question: In this digital age, can we ever reclaim our true selves?

