• Exploring the Duality of AI-Driven Art

    A spotlight on Scorpion Sorbet.

In an era where technology and creativity collide, artist Carly Fridhandler, known under persona Scorpion Sorbet, navigates the intricate balance between human emotion and machine-generated surrealism. Through AI-driven art she explores the tension between beauty and unease in this recent collaboration with editorial photographer Sandrine Castellan redefining artistic expression in the digital age.

Scorpion Sorbet is an artist navigating the evolving intersection of technology and creativity, using AI as a medium to explore the tension between beauty and unease. Her journey into AI art began in 2022 when she was introduced to Midjourney, an encounter that fundamentally reshaped her creative process. Having previously experimented with various traditional media—from filmmaking to cross-stitching—she found in AI a means to fully articulate the complex emotions she sought to express.

Her first AI-generated image, a lavender scorpion perched on a pastel pink sorbet, became an unintentional yet defining motif in her work. This visual encapsulates a recurring theme: the coexistence of comfort and threat, attraction and repulsion, polished surfaces hiding something unsettling beneath. It is this emotional duality that has resonated with audiences and contributed to her rapid recognition within the AI art space.

Blurring the Lines Between Human and Machine

Scorpion Sorbet’s creative process is far from a simple act of prompting software. Employing a technique known as reverse prompting, she intentionally manipulates AI’s logic to generate visuals that feel organic rather than machine-made. This unpredictability is key to maintaining a sense of artistic spontaneity. Yet, beyond the technical process, it is the emotional depth of her work—infused with personal anxieties, infatuations, and obsessions—that connects with viewers.

Addressing the ongoing debate surrounding AI and traditional art, Scorpion Sorbet challenges the perception of AI as a threat. Rather than viewing it as a replacement for human creativity, she argues that AI functions as a tool—no different from a paintbrush, a camera, or digital editing software. The real question, she suggests, is not whether AI will overtake traditional media, but how it can be used to expand artistic expression.

Collaboration Between AI and Traditional Photography

A recent collaboration with editorial photographer Sandrine Castellan further illustrates this philosophy. In their joint project, Scorpion Sorbet and Castellan sought to merge AI-generated surrealism with the raw, emotional authenticity of photography. Castellan’s ability to capture human presence through the lens grounded the work in reality, while AI introduced an otherworldly dimension. This synergy between disciplines highlights how traditional and digital techniques can coexist, each enhancing the other rather than competing for dominance.

The Future of AI in Art and Fashion

Looking ahead, Scorpion Sorbet sees AI as a tool that reshapes—not replaces—creative industries. In fashion, for instance, AI-generated imagery can inspire designers to envision impossible silhouettes and textiles, pushing beyond conventional constraints. In entertainment, AI expands world-building possibilities, making the unimaginable tangible. However, she emphasizes that at the heart of any great artistic work remains intent, emotion, and storytelling—elements that are distinctly human.

Her influences draw heavily from film and photography, with an affinity for unsettling, atmospheric narratives. Directors like Brandon Cronenberg, Lars Von Trier, and Yorgos Lanthimos inform her visual language, as does the dreamlike surrealism of photographers like Barbara Cole and Dora Maar. Scorpion Sorbet’s goal is clear: to create work so distinct and deeply personal that it becomes instantly recognizable as her own.

As AI continues to reshape artistic landscapes, Scorpion Sorbet’s work stands as a testament to the power of hybrid creativity—where human intuition and machine-generated unpredictability collide to produce something entirely new.

Exploring the Duality of AI-Driven Art

Photographer: Sandrine Castellan / @sandrinecastellan
AI Artist: Carly Fridhandler / @scorpionsorbet
MUA: Alexandra Kadoch / @alexandra.k_mua
Assisted by: Cedric Conti / @conticedric
Video: Lisa Marie Faria / @lisamariefaria

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