Current exhibition

Artificial Irreverence (AI) – a look at technology at the National Cartoon Gallery

The world of technology including AI, computers, robots and social media is the theme for the latest exhibition to open at the National Cartoon Gallery, Wednesday 5 March.

Artificial Irreverence (AI) features 150 works from some of Australia’s best cartoonists and illustrators and is a humorous and sometimes thought provoking look at how prevalent technology has become in our everyday lives.

Gallery vice-president Margaret Cameron said the exhibition is timely given the rapid rise of artificial intelligence through programs such as Chat GPT and other AI tools.

“Technology has been a large part of our lives for some time, but the last year has really seen it become front and centre in everything we do for better or worse,” she said.

“AI has quickly evolved to help us with tasks such as communication, productivity and other applications, and social media has also been put in the spotlight due to its negative impacts."

"While we can’t live without technology, we should also remember it’s here to serve us, and Artificial Irreverence (AI) reminds us about this through the art of cartoons and illustrations.”

Ms Cameron said cartoons can use a variety of rhetorical devices, including irony, symbolism, and analogy, and can also use exaggeration and labeling to convey meaning.

“The exhibition draws on our extensive collection and shows how technology has changed over time, including its past forms and the attitudes people have towards it,” she said.

The exhibition opens next Wednesday and runs until the beginning of June.

The Bunker Gallery, now featuring both the National Cartoon Gallery and the new National Holden Motor Museum, is open Wednesday to Sunday 10 am to 4 pm.