Since 2013, Tobias Gutmann has travelled the world with his Face-o-mat project, transforming the simple act of portrait drawing into an innovative interface for human connection and exploring how technology has influenced us to assemble and portray an identity that puts us in the best light.

The act of drawing has become a ritual in which the artist manifests and translates encounters through his hands. This process of looking closely, listening deeply and breathing together, goes beyond representation, revealing the presence behind the face. Rather than producing photorealistic likenesses, the Face-o-mat project encourages encounters that capture the resonance of person, the sound of a face. For more than a decade, the ongoing Face-o-mat performance has evolved into a living archive, a new visual language that embodies curiosity and play, wilderness and stillness.

In recent years, Gutmann has extended this inquiry into the digital realm through Sai Bot, an AI digital twin that mirrors his gestures and decisions. It opens a space to ask what an algorithm can learn from a practice of presence, and how human and machine might illuminate each other.

Gutmann now reimagines the platform and process as a universally accessible tool for human connection. Hosted by the artist, Face-o-mat invites collaborators and guests to perform the work; enabling a broader audience to experience its ritual of presence and connection.

Also visit: tobiasgutmann.com

Texts

• «I can do that too», says the AI – Marlene Wenger

Tobias Gutmann’s portraits are not photorealistic, but freer, more abstract interpretations of the face in its own formal language. […] With the portrait, you become part of a conglomerate of images that belong together, you become part of the Face-o-mat project.

• The Sound of a Person – Marcel Henry

Die Zeichnung ist »nur« das Zeugnis der Begegnung und sie sagt etwas aus über den Charakter und die Qualität der Begebenheit. Es kann sein, dass eine Stunde später ein ganz anderes Bild herauskäme. Was unter seiner Hand entsteht, ist immer eine Momentaufnahme.

• Exhibition text – Barbara Seiler at schwarzescafé / Löwenbräu Kunst, Zürich

Tobias Gutmann has always ventured out of the comfort zone of the artist studio and searched for a dialogue with people and his surroundings.

© Tobias Gutmann  –  General Terms and Services / Privacy Policy

Since 2013, Tobias Gutmann has travelled the world with his Face-o-mat project, transforming the simple act of portrait drawing into an innovative interface for human connection and exploring how technology has influenced us to assemble and portray an identity that puts us in the best light.

The act of drawing has become a ritual in which the artist manifests and translates encounters through his hands. This process of looking closely, listening deeply and breathing together, goes beyond representation, revealing the presence behind the face. Rather than producing photorealistic likenesses, the Face-o-mat project encourages encounters that capture the resonance of person, the sound of a face. For more than a decade, the ongoing Face-o-mat performance has evolved into a living archive, a new visual language that embodies curiosity and play, wilderness and stillness.

In recent years, Gutmann has extended this inquiry into the digital realm through Sai Bot, an AI digital twin that mirrors his gestures and decisions. It opens a space to ask what an algorithm can learn from a practice of presence, and how human and machine might illuminate each other.

Gutmann now reimagines the platform and process as a universally accessible tool for human connection. Hosted by the artist, Face-o-mat invites collaborators and guests to perform the work; enabling a broader audience to experience its ritual of presence and connection.

Also visit: tobiasgutmann.com

Texts

• «I can do that too», says the AI – Marlene Wenger

Tobias Gutmann’s portraits are not photorealistic, but freer, more abstract interpretations of the face in its own formal language. […] With the portrait, you become part of a conglomerate of images that belong together, you become part of the Face-o-mat project.

• The Sound of a Person – Marcel Henry

Die Zeichnung ist »nur« das Zeugnis der Begegnung und sie sagt etwas aus über den Charakter und die Qualität der Begebenheit. Es kann sein, dass eine Stunde später ein ganz anderes Bild herauskäme. Was unter seiner Hand entsteht, ist immer eine Momentaufnahme.

• Exhibition text – Barbara Seiler at schwarzescafé / Löwenbräu Kunst, Zürich

Tobias Gutmann has always ventured out of the comfort zone of the artist studio and searched for a dialogue with people and his surroundings.

© Tobias Gutmann  –  General Terms and Services / Privacy Policy