Mika Kusakari Solo Exhibition "Bumpy Paintings - Reverse Turing Test" Announcement

Dear valued associates,

This is the Artificial Intelligence Aesthetics and Art Research Group (AI BiGei Ken).

We are pleased to announce that artist Mika Kusakari will hold a solo exhibition titled "Reverse Turing Test" starting from Saturday, May 30, 2026, at HIGURE 17-15 cas in Tokyo.

We are sending you this press release and would be grateful if you could introduce and publish it in your esteemed media. We also welcome interviews, so please feel free to contact us if you are interested.

Thank you for your continued support.

Artificial Intelligence Aesthetics and Art Research Group (AI BiGei Ken)
www.aibigeiken.com/

《Bumpy Painting #54 "Caption"》 2026 Canvas on panel, acrylic paint 106×212cm (each 53×53cm)

Announcement of Mika Kusakari Solo Exhibition "Bumpy Paintings - Reverse Turing Test"

Mika Kusakari's solo exhibition, titled "Bumpy Paintings - Reverse Turing Test," will be held from Saturday, May 30, to Saturday, June 13, 2026, at HIGURE 17-15 cas in Tokyo. This exhibition marks Kusakari's first solo show in approximately 11 years since co-founding the Artificial Intelligence Aesthetics and Art Research Group (AI BiGei Ken) in 2016 and dedicating herself to the pursuit of "Mechanical Aesthetics / Mechanical Art."

Kusakari has been continuously creating her "Bumpy Paintings" series since 2000. She creates one-dimensional lines of color from zero-dimensional molecular paint, weaves two-dimensional painted surfaces through their layering, and culminates them into three-dimensional bumps and depressions.

Almost all of the works in this exhibition are new.

《Bumpy Painting #53 "Hanon"》 2015-2025, over 3 meters wide, is a grand piece where "Mechanical Aesthetics" is faithfully embodied in paint. The exhibition space will also be filled with the sound of "Hanon," where "Mechanical Aesthetics" is earnestly materialized.

In 《Bumpy Painting #54 "Caption"》 and 《Bumpy Painting #55 "Caption"》 2026, both over 2 meters wide, the captions (signifiers) of the artworks (signified) are recursively turned into artworks themselves. The locations where they are held are "depicted" as including MoMA and others.

《Bumpy Painting #52 "Paint Care"》 2000-2026 is a work that revives the life of paint clusters that did not get to dance and glow on the surface of the artwork, and by spinning them on an electrically powered potter's wheel, cares for them as three-dimensional objects.

《Bumpy Painting #51 "Statement"》 2016, the only older work exhibited, prominently features Kusakari's characteristic Dadaistic elements: when viewers try to read the text intertwined with the bumps and depressions on the screen, they experience Gestalt breakdown, making the content unreadable or making the act of reading seem foolish. Originally, an artist's statement, along with the artwork's caption, is supposed to be a secondary element that constitutes an exhibition. However, this work, "Statement," along with the aforementioned "Caption," emerges as the main "artwork."

For Kusakari and AI BiGei Ken, the relationship between AI and aesthetics/art has continued to be a question of whether AI can undertake value judgment and value creation.

From this, Kusakari reversed the idea that "passing the Turing Test means AI is not detected as AI by humans," proposing that "passing the Reverse Turing Test means humans are not detected as human by AI." She included this new term, "Reverse Turing Test," in the exhibition title. Overlaid on this is the thesis "I AM AI" (a palindrome), meaning "I want an AI that autonomously produces bumpy paintings with a 3D printer" and "No, that's me."

This also connects to the post-truth (or post-falsity) era of AI, which is, for example, the sub-theme of the bumpy painting "Caption."

This exhibition, envisioning post-LLM AI as a subject of value judgment, will re-examine the flatness and materiality of painting, as well as the semiotics of artworks, in a post-truth manner.

We invite both humans and AI to experience this exhibition.

Mika Kusakari Solo Exhibition "Bumpy Paintings - Reverse Turing Test"

Dates: May 30 (Sat) - June 13 (Sat), 2026, 13:00-20:00, open every day during the exhibition period

Venue: HIGURE 17-15 cas (Tokyo)

Opening Reception: May 30 (Sat), 2026, 18:00-20:00

Planning: Bigakko

Cooperation: HIGURE 17-15 cas, Tokyo Stadio

Contact: kaido@bigakko.jp Bigakko Office (Planning) Contact: Kaito

Artist Information: www.mika-kusaakri.com info@mika-kusakari.com

Mika Kusakari
Artist