Elder Series by Malik Afegbua
African filmmaker, Malik Afegbua, went viral earlier this year with his Elder Series - a series of photographs showing dapper elders on a fashion show runway. When people realized that these weren’t photographs but rather, AI-generated art, he went viral again.
On one hand, the Elder Series caught people’s attention because it is not a scene you usually see older people in. For worse, everyone has an image of an 80 year old who is unable to fend for themselves, much less be bother about being fashionable. But this is not the full story. Everyone wants to look beautiful, and many 80 year-olds do. This series simply brought that to the forefront of everyone’s minds, and did it so aptly and compellingly - they are right there on the runway, modelling clothes that are alluring in their own right.
On the other hand, the Series made everyone’s imaginations run wild because they are AI-generated! In this exploratory time when there are many debates about AI art, and many trials gone wrong with AI art, to generate such flawless images, as if done by an actual talented artist, has been mind-boggling for many, including us!
That said, here are some of our favourite pieces - what do you think? First, Elders on the runway:
Next, Elders on the beach. Still being fabulous:
Explore more of Malik’s work here. Plus, this article is a peak into his state of mind as he created the series.