Getty Acquires First AI-Generated Photo of a Secret Queer World

The Men in Matias Sauter Morera’s AI-Generated Photo "Cristian en el Amor de Calle"

The Story Behind the Image

Two young men with thick black hair and dark, intense eyes stare directly into the camera in Matias Sauter Morera’s photo "Cristian en el Amor de Calle." But the Costa Rican photographer never captured their gaze, because the men aren’t real. Morera brought them to life using artificial intelligence — and their portrait will soon hang in the Getty Museum as the first A.I.-generated photo acquired for its permanent collection.

Reimagining the Clandestine World of the Costa Rican Pegamachos

The photo comes from a series by Morera that reimagines, through visual and written narratives, the clandestine culture of the Costa Rican "pegamachos." The term describes men, often from rural areas, who maintained an outwardly heteronormative identity while participating in secret encounters with other men. These cowboys from the Guanacaste Coast represent a deeply personal yet hidden piece of Costa Rican queer history from the 1970s and 1980s that Morera felt a powerful pull to tell.

From Documentary Photography to AI-Generated Imagery

Initially, Morera considered a photographic documentary approach, but he chose to use AI to reimagine these homoerotic stories and fantasies without intruding on real lives or placing real Costa Rican faces that others might recognize. "AI provided a way to achieve this without intruding on real lives," Morera said.

A New Era in Photography

The Getty Museum acquired "Cristian en el Amor de Calle" as part of its "Queer Lens: A History of Photography" exhibit, which explores photography’s role in shaping and affirming the tapestry of the LGBTQ+ community. The museum also sees this acquisition as an opportunity to dip its toes into the A.I.-generated universe, as artists across creative disciplines grapple with the rapid rise of artificial intelligence and its implications for their work.

Why This Particular Image?

The Getty chose Morera’s print because it strengthens its growing holdings of work by LGBTQ+ artists and expands its holdings of Latin American makers.

Documentary Photography Meets AI

Morera prints his AI-generated images through chromogenic printing, an analog method that dominated photographic prints in the 1970s and 1980s. "Light is projected onto silver halide paper, transforming a synthetic digital image into what I consider a true photograph, a literal drawing with light," he said.

Conclusion

Morera’s use of AI as a creative medium in itself, distinct from photography, allows him to reimagine and construct an imagined parallel history of the pegamachos.

FAQs

• What is the pegamachos culture?
  • The term "pegamachos" describes men from rural areas in Costa Rica who maintained an outwardly heteronormative identity while participating in secret encounters with other men.
• How did Morera create the AI-generated images?
  • Morera uses AI prompts to generate images, which he then edits and re-edits until they resemble historical documentary portraits.
• Will the Getty Museum acquire more AI-generated images?
  • The museum doesn’t have specific plans to acquire more AI-generated images, but this acquisition represents its entry into the A.I.-generated universe.