mrtoledano/phillip toledano

Phillip Toledano is a pioneer in the artistic use of AI. At a recent artist talk, we asked him where he sees AI heading, how it challenges ideas of truth in image-making, how his practice has evolved, and what relationship AI has with photography. Swipe to read his thoughts. The AI-generated images shown here are part of the exhibition “Edward Trevor: Never Seen the Light” by Phillip Toledano, closing soon on 31 May. Image credits: Untitled, c. 1930-1940, New York City, USA, Edward Trevor: Never Seen the Light, 2026 © Phillip Toledano

Two very different approaches to photography, both currently on view at Fotografiska Berlin. Bruce Gilden’s “Why These?” confronts the viewer with raw, close-up portraits shaped by decades of street photography. Direct and unapologetic, his images focus on people at the edges of society — photographed with an intensity that feels immediate and deeply human. 📅 25 April – 23 August 2026 In contrast, Phillip Toledano’s “Edward Trevor: Never Seen the Light” moves into fiction. Created entirely with AI, the exhibition constructs a fabricated photographic archive from 1930s and 1940s New York, questioning how easily images can shape memory, belief, and perceived truth. 📅 Until 31 May 2026 Together, the two exhibitions reflect photography’s shifting relationship to reality — from direct confrontation to artificial reconstruction. 📍 Fotografiska Berlin 🕒 Daily: 10 AM – 11 PM __________ #BruceGilden #PhillipToledano #FotografiskaBerlin #ContemporaryPhotography #BerlinArtScene

There is a lot of talk about AI, but one thing is clear, it is here to stay. AI-generated images mark a new way of image-making where the image is built from imagination alone. Conceptual artist Phillip Toledano describes it less like capturing and more like carving. There is an idea at the start, and you keep chipping away, refining it until it matches exactly what you want. See his exhibition “Edward Trevor: Never Seen the Light” until 31 May.

AI is just the next tool in art’s toolbox. We believe that. But, like every other medium, it’s only as good as the input and effort you put into it. @mrtoledano has been making work about grief, death, parenthood, and loss for decades. His latest series, Edward Trevor: Never Seen the Light at @fotografiska.berlin uses AI to invent photographs his late father might have taken. He was thinking about what his dad might have found beautiful while he made them. And it’s the most honest thing we’ve seen anyone do about photography’s complicated relationship with truth. Our interview with Phillip is now live on Seen! Comment EDWARD and we’ll send you a preview. 📍Fotografiska Berlin @fotografiska.berlin 📸 Edward Trevor: Never Seen the Light 📆 On until 31 May #aiart #aiartworks #aiphotography #fotografiska

For a long time, photography functioned as evidence. It suggested that something had to exist for an image to be made. This shaped how we understand reality across culture and society. The image stood as proof. But that link is no longer reliable. The emergence of AI has fundamentally unsettled this relationship. Now visuals can come from imagination alone or reinforce shared narratives that feel real. Images you see no longer guarantee that a moment actually happened. “Edward Trevor: Never Seen the Light” by Phillip Toledano makes that tension visible. The works carry the weight of memory and documentation until you realize they were never witnessed. This exhibition reflects this new category of image creation shaped by AI and its impact on how we understand truth. It invites you to look closer, question what you see, and opens space for discussion. On view until 31 May.

This isn’t AI art - at least not the AI art you’re probably thinking of. Yes, @mrtoledano used AI to create his new series of images, Edward Trevor: Never Seen the Light. But this series isn’t the AI slop you’re seeing plastered all over social media. Phillip creates these images and scenes the same way he created his photographs when he used digital and film - he’s just using AI as the tool to get the work where he needs it go to. And if you listen to him talk about his work, it all makes sense. We know this is going to be a controversial interview and we get it. But please, watch the whole chat before you pass judgement on this project. There is so much more here than meets the eye. Comment EDWARD if you want to watch a preview! Seen members - check your inbox for the full interview. ____ 📍Fotografiska Berlin @fotografiska.berlin 📸 Edward Trevor: Never Seen the Light 📆 On until 31 May #aiart #aiphotography #aiartworks #fotografiska

In “Edward Trevor: Never Seen the Light,” Phillip Toledano tells a story that feels real at first glance. After his father’s death, he discovers a box of unseen negatives capturing 1930s and 1940s New York in cinematic detail and strange, surreal moments. He knew his father worked as an actor under the stage name Edward Trevor and was also a painter and sculptor. The images reveal an entirely new perspective on his work. But none of these moments actually happened. Edward Trevor never held a camera. They were entirely generated with AI. Phillip Toledano explores how easily these images can construct narratives and blur the line between fiction and proof. On view until 31 May, this exhibition traces that tension, moving from certainty to doubt, asking what makes an image feel true and how uneasy it is when that trust breaks. The exhibition was curated by Marie-Luise Mayer, Exhibitions Manager at Fotografiska Berlin, in close collaboration with the artist. Image credits: Untitled, c. 1930-1940, New York City, USA, Edward Trevor: Never Seen the Light, 2026 © Phillip Toledano

We may have another Vivian Maier on our hands… or do we? Do you know the story? @vivianmaierarchive lived a double life. Nanny by day, razor-eyed street photographer by … capturing over 150,000 images no one was ever meant to see. Then, by chance, her archive surfaced… and suddenly: books, documentaries, exhibitions. A posthumous phenomenon. A marketing case study. (And maybe… something a little more complicated, but that’s a story for another time.) Now enter @mrtoledano . After his father Trevor’s passing, Toledano discovers a box of negatives. New York street scenes that echo the visual language of @haroldfeinstein , Diane Arbus, even Bruce Gilden. The result? “Never Seen the Light” at @fotografiska.berlin . But here’s the twist… Toledano isn’t just any artist. His work has long blurred truth and fabrication. AI-generated imagery, political illusions, uncanny landscapes that sit right on the edge of reality. Images that feel true, even when they’re not. So these photographs… The tones, the bodies. It’s all a little bit exaggerated. Familiar, yet strange. They demand a second look. So I’m asking, did Toledano uncover a hidden archive? Or are we witnessing another layer of his constructed realities? Either way… I’m in. What about you? 👀

“Never Seen the Light” presents the remarkable photographic work of Edward Trevor – a body of images that, until recently, remained unseen for decades and in many cases, had quite literally never seen the light. After Trevor’s passing, his son, New York based artist @mrtoledano , went through his father’s belongings and came across a box filled with negatives. It was a personal archive, waiting quietly to be discovered. The exhibition will be on view @fotografiska.berlin Berlin from March 28. #fotografiska #philliptoledano #photography #sleek

PRESS COVERAGE CASE STUDY for Philip Toledano “Another England” by l’Artiere 📰 - @mrtoledano @lartiere Reel @alessiopomix - #PR #global #WorldWide #magazine #press #photography #culture #toledano

“For me, AI is quite possibly the most liberating thing I’ve experienced. It’s a mirror to the imagination. I finally have an outlet for all my ideas. Each image I make is based on an idea or an image that materializes in my mind… I do believe that when the intangible becomes tangible, it becomes less frightening.” – Phillip Toledano, 2023 Phillip Toledano (@mrtoledano ) is a British conceptual artist living and working in New York City. Working across photography, AI-generated imagery, installation, sculpture, painting, and video, he explores universal and socio-political themes. His recent AI series, Another America, reflects a world that doesn’t quite make sense, challenging viewers emotionally and intellectually. 🟦 Visit EXPANDED.ART to learn more. #PhillipToledano #ExpandedArt

That’s right me old shipmates , my blathering has gone mainstream-a little op-ed I wrote for @washingtonpost about ai, and my work -link in bio …get your rage trumpets out !😂🤪 . . . #washingtonpost