Experiencing Interruptions?

SUNFLOWERS WITHOUT DECAY (27 Van Goghs vs. ChatGPT & VEO3)

Boris Eldagsen turns the machine against itself. He raises van Gogh from the dead, hands him a mic, and lets him rage. What we get is a ghost trapped in the age of AI—a hostage video from the underworld of art history.

We turned the man into merchandise, then asked AI to remix the ruins. And here it is—remixed, exhausted, and pissed. Vincent’s voice isn’t real, but the exhaustion is.
We’ve flattened his suffering into a preset, a style pack, a downloadable vibe. The agony, the hunger, the paint-eating madness—it’s all been filtered, cleaned up, and sold back to us as a beautiful effect. This is van Gogh after being chewed up by history, museums, and merch tables. He’s not angry that we use his style—he’s angry that we think that’s enough.

Eldagsen gives us the best kind of fake: one that tells the truth. This isn’t just about art—it’s about what we’ve done to it.
It’s tragic, funny, and completely devastating.

The monologue was written with the help of ChatGPT, the video was generated with VEO3. Text-to-Video only, as Google doesn’t allow dialogue with Image-to-Video (yet). Extra sounds were provided by freesound.com and the video was edited (and AI-extended) in Adobe PremierePro.

  • Boris Eldagsen
    Director
  • Boris Eldagsen
    Writer
  • Boris Eldagsen
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Experimental, Short
  • Runtime:
    3 minutes 17 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 25, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    100 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Germany
  • Country of Filming:
    Germany
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    AI video
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Boris Eldagsen

Berlin-based German artist Boris Eldagsen (*1970) studied photography and visual arts at the Art Academy of Mainz, conceptual art and intermedia at the Academy of Fine Arts, Prague and fine art the Sarojini Naidu School of Arts & Communication Hyderabad, India. In addition, he studied philosophy at the Universities of Cologne and Mainz.

Since 2000 his photomedia work has been shown internationally in institutions and festivals including Deichtorhallen Hamburg, CCP Melbourne, ACP Sydney, EMAF Osnabrück, Edinburgh Art Festival, FORMAT Festival Derby, Noorderlicht Groningen, Chobi Mela Dhaka, Singapore International Photography Festival, the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Biennale Le Havre and Biennale of Electronic Arts Perth. Boris has been awarded at ‘Voies Off’ Arles and ‘FORMAT’ Festival Derby.

Since 2004, Boris has lectured at Victorian College of the Arts / University Melbourne, Photography Studies College Melbourne, Akademie für Bildende Künste Mainz and Hochschule Furtwangen and Filmakademie Ludwigsburg.

In addition, he has given workshops and presentations for over 30 universities and art schools worldwide.

He is an active member of the two oldest German photographer’s associations, DFA and DGPh. He is also a founding member of the AI working group of Deutscher Fotorat (“German Photo Council”), Germany’s umbrella organisation for over 30 photographer’s associations and institutions).

Boris is one of the internationally acclaimed experts on AI-generated images and a regular guest at panel talks and events. His refusal of the Sony World Photo Awards in April 2023 kicked-off a global debate about the relationship between photography and AI-generated images (“promptography”). He was "The man who lifted the lid on Pandora’s box" (The Age) and his image “PSEUDOMNESIA | The Electrician” became “The picture that stopped the world” (The Guardian) and a symbol for a new aera.

Since 2023 his AI-generated work was shown by international galleries such as Ravestijn Gallery Amsterdam, SETAREH Gallery Berlin, Marion Gallery Panama, Palmer Gallery London, Hangar 7826 Montréal, Expanded-Art Berlin and in museums such as California Museum of Photography and BACC Bangkok.

It was also featured by photo and media art festivals such as Noorderlicht Groningen, AI Biennale Essen, Pingyao International Photography Festival, Jupiter Art Museum Shenzhen, Xishuangbanna Foto Festival, International Photography and Media Art Festival Kaunas, PHOTO 2024 Melbourne, ELEKTRA International Digital Art Biennial in Montréal.

He recently was a jury member for the Ars Electronica Award in Linz.

This July he will participate in the “PROMPTOPIA: document.ai” at the Minsheng Art Museum Shanghai. September 2025 he will curate the group show “PSYCHOPOMP! AI images as an expression of the unconscious mind” for the inauguration of the Roger Ballen Centre for Photography in Johannesburg / South Africa.

Boris lives and works in Berlin.

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Director Statement

AI is the tool I always wanted to use - I now work with my knowledge of 25 years of video-making. And the only limit is my imagination.