Sasha Mazur-Knyazeva on Materiality in the AI Age

Sasha, could you tell us a bit about yourself?

I am an artist - I used to focus on conceptual ceramics but have recently shifted to digital art practice. I'm passionate about two main things: materials and experimentation. I love exploring the materiality of various elements, such as weathered wood, rusted metal, plasticine with fingerprints, cracked porcelain, and stained concrete.

You've started using exactly.ai in your art practice. How does it help your creativity?

I found out about exactly.ai not long ago. It helps me try out unusual mixes and ideas before I spend a lot of time and effort on making a real or digital piece. I can play around with different materials, shapes, and textures to see how they work together.

What motivated you to incorporate exactly.ai into your art practice?

My physical practice requires a significant investment of time, understanding, experimentation, studio space, and physical craftsmanship. Therefore, I was looking to broaden my practice to simplify the experimentation and production process, and I began learning digital software tools that allow me to 'manipulate' materials and concepts.

How has exactly.ai impacted your practice?

exactly.ai broadens the possibilities of my experimentation, allows me to delve deeper into diverse media, and continue constantly experimenting with materials, tools, and concepts.

Finally, what is your favourite aspect of working with the exactly.ai model?

I can reimagine the use of items from my personal collections. Over the years, I have gathered a wealth of images featuring cracked surfaces, stones, and twigs, and now I can incorporate them in entirely novel ways.