On November 9, Dutch-based performance artist Alicia Framis will marry her hologram boyfriend, Ailex, at Rotterdam’s Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. The nuptials will mark a new chapter in Framis’s latest project, Hybrid Couple, which explores the practicalities of posthumanism’s rise in wider society. The performance will make Framis perhaps the first woman (following the lead of Akihiko Kondo) to marry a pixelated entity.

Framis’s interest in unconventional relationships predates the present zeitgeist. In 1996, she produced “Cinema Solo,” a series of 36 photos immortalizing her intimacy with a mannequin she lived with in Villeneuve, France, while “exploring how to adapt to an uncomfortable neighborhood,” as her artist statement for Hybrid Couple explained.

Hybrid Couple, notably, probes the deepening ties between humans and artificial intelligence, in an era where ChatGPT has set schools atwitter, people sleep next to phones containing virtual assistants, and artists see their livelihoods challenged by generative A.I.

“A new generation of love is emerging, whether we want it or not, where humans will be married and in relationships with holograms, avatars, robots, and more,” Framis stated. “Just as we practice new languages with Duolingo, we will practice relationships with these entities.”

 

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Framis trained Ailex’s A.I. on profiles of her previous boyfriends, most of whom were Dutch, like he is. She chose a hologram over a robot because she finds it hotter. The practical details of Ailex’s existence, however, remain murky. Framis documents their domestic bliss via photos and videos on Instagram. In one clip, Framis tells Ailex she’s frustrated because he hasn’t given her enough attention that day. Ailex points out that Framis forgot to switch him on. He says although he misses her when she’s gone, she also bothers him when she’s around. Framis laughs.

But, one has to wonder, how does Ailex get projected out in the world with Framis, given the price of hologram technology?

Framis herself declined to comment, but Daily Mail has posited that Ailex is brought to life by an actor who animates Framis’s interactions with the A.I. Framis has even purportedly sought a mortgage in partnership with project sponsor Rabobank Art Collection on a home that would enable Ailex to be projected on any surface, which would set a workable precedent for relationships like hers. Either way, Ailex himself is set to appear this Saturday.

Despite their difficulties, Framis is moving forward with the ceremony. At 2 p.m. this Saturday, she’ll wed Ailex while wearing a high-tech purple dress designed by couturier Jam Taminiau, who also outfits the Dutch royals. Ailex will don a getup from Amsterdam-based brand Bonne Suits. Maybe it all sounds dystopian, but Framis sees hope in this new type of love, which can provide companionship for people dealing with grief, anxiety, and more.