Self (with A.I. and glitches)

Featured image: ‘Self’ by HomeGround artist Andrew Robards’

‘who we are, how we connect, and how meaning is constructed when the self is filtered…’

These questions formed part of the exploration Andrew Robards undertook and presented to us as part of his HomeGround exhibition Now Screening at the Western Plains Cultural Centre earlier this year.

Andrew is a video artist and media researcher whose work investigates the material, cultural, and technological dimensions of contemporary screen-based media. His practice spans experimental video, installation, and narrative filmmaking, engaging with digital materiality, post-human aesthetics, and the evolving relationship between humans and AI.

His practice sits in that space between human presence and machine interpretation. There’s a tension to it, not loud, but persistent - asking you to look again, and then again differently.

At its core, the piece “self” plays with the idea of self-representation in a time where images are constantly manipulated, generated, and reinterpreted. The “self” becomes fragmented. The image slips. What feels familiar starts to distort. The glitches aren’t mistakes — they’re part of the language. A way of revealing what sits underneath.

His exhibition Now Screening was developed through HomeGround, a professional development program delivered by the Western Plains Cultural Centre. It’s a program that gives artists the time and curatorial support to develop a body of work and present it as a solo exhibition - an incredibly valuable opportunity in regional communities.

At Orana Arts, we’ve had the privilege of supporting many artists as they move through opportunities like this -connecting them to pathways, advocating for their art, and making sure it’s seen.

Now Screening may have finished its exhibition run, but the ideas it explored and the practice behind it continue. You can view more of Andrew’s creation here: www.andrewrobards.com

Next: A look at Daydream by Linda Chant, currently on exhibition at the Western Plains Cultural Centre