A conceptual artist who hung his own AI-generated work in Wales's National Museum in Cardiff has described the guerrilla act as being not about disruption, but about “participation without permission”.
The artist, known as Elias Marrow, installed the work in the museum's contemporary art section on 29 October, where it was on view for a few hours before being spotted by staff. The print shows a young boy in a Welsh school uniform holding a book with an empty plate on his lap. It was accompanied by a wall text giving the title Empty Plate.
On his website, the artist describes the work a digital print on paper housed in a custom-made frame. A statement says it “represents the state of Wales in 2025”, “references Victorian charity propaganda” and was “gifted to Cardiff Museum”.
Marrow told the BBC that he is interested in “how public institutions decide what's worth showing, and what happens when something outside that system appears within it”. Using artificial intelligence to create the piece was "part of the natural evolution of artistic tools”, added Marrow, who says he sketched the image before creating the work with AI.
National Museum Cardiff is one of seven sites run by Amgueddfa Cymru (Museum Wales). An Amgueddfa Cymru spokesperson said: “An item was placed without permission on a gallery wall in National Museum Cardiff. We were alerted to this and have removed the item in question.”
