Es Devlin’s ‘A National Portrait’ for the National Portrait Gallery

2026-05-14 · Source: The Keyword · Field: Media & Entertainment — Content Creation & Production, Creative Industries & Arts, Entertainment Technology & Innovation · Depth: Fundamental Awareness, short

Summary

Artist Es Devlin, in collaboration with Google Arts & Culture Lab, has launched "A National Portrait," an experimental, participatory artwork at the National Portrait Gallery in London. This project, open to all UK residents aged 18 and over, allows individuals to co-author a collective digital portrait until October 27, 2026. Participants upload a photograph of themselves via an interactive Google Arts & Culture experience, which is then transformed into an animated digital portrait in Devlin's signature charcoal and chalk style using the Gemini Image model. This initiative builds on a decade-long collaboration exploring advanced technologies for collective art, following previous works like "Please Feed the Lions" and "Poem Portraits." The project also includes physical drawing events and workshops at the gallery, alongside an online drawing class for remote participation.

Key takeaway

For artists and cultural institutions exploring new forms of public engagement, "A National Portrait" demonstrates how AI, specifically models like Gemini Image, can transform individual contributions into a large-scale, evolving collective artwork. You should consider integrating generative AI to scale artistic visions and foster broad participation, offering both digital and physical interaction points to maximize inclusivity and impact.

Key insights

AI-powered art enables broad public participation in creating a collective, evolving national portrait.

Principles

• AI can scale artistic practices.
• Collective art fosters national identity.
• Technology enhances public art participation.

Method

Users submit photos to an interactive experience, which an underlying AI (Gemini Image model) transforms into animated digital portraits in a specific artistic style, contributing to a live collective display.

In practice

• Use Gemini Image for style transfer.
• Integrate AI for large-scale public art.
• Offer digital and physical participation.

Topics

• Es Devlin
• Google Arts & Culture Lab
• National Portrait Gallery
• Participatory Art
• AI Art

Best for: Computer Vision Engineer, General Interest, Creative Technologist, AI Product Manager

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by The Keyword.