The continuation of the THX series, titled Manus et Machina, is depicted in a new context. The continuation of the THX Robo Drawings Series, titled Manus et Machina a playful attempt to reach deeper context. The motifs are graphical silhouettes containing rasterized photographic imagery, while the artist’s hand is expanded through drawn elements, mostly crayon, splatters, and sprinkles from spray cans, as well as imprints of  objects. Each work also includes an element of gold leaf, which adds an additional layer of information—both aesthetic and symbolic.

Each piece contains various contrast points through the visual elements of the silhouettes and the rasters depicted within them. These contrasts are both conceptual and perceptual, acting as a kind of switch in perception: either the silhouette or the grid is perceived. This forces the viewer to engage with the difference between the elements, as they are not easily perceived simultaneously in some works. These juxtapositions draw the viewer in as a kind of tool for seeking understanding—a desire to understand that means uniting with the work, embedding oneself in its appearance, and bringing a mental layer that is unique to each individual. The aim is to trigger a deeper engagement with the seen and felt material.

The aesthetic of the works is deliberately light and infused with a sense of chance, evident in the scattered dots, but also in the themes clashing in a playful sometimes funny way. The content, however, is charged not only on a entertaining and in a political and temporal level but also on a human one—exploring themes such as the stages of life, longing, the desire for balance, love, at he same time transporting the understanding that these may be difficult or impossible to achieve. The works are meant to provoke questions rather than provide answers, encouraging the viewer to playfully or seriously engage with the themes stretched between the contrast points.

For example, Winnie the Pooh and Piglet are juxtaposed with burning residential blocks in Ukraine, or a Russian ballerina’s silhouette is filled with a grid of flaming oil refineries to name two of the political ones. These compositions serve as a visually pleasing yet deeply reflective mirror of our time and its various themes. A mix of counterparts, knowing they are all together life not only the ones we like most.

Artist Statement, Sebi 2025

“Thx for the Brush” is intended as a humorous expression of the fact that in today’s abundance of media it is common practice to make unrestrained use of existing images. This is what is being thematized and reflected upon here. For Sebastian Schager, who also studied art history, such appropriation has always been part of his artistic practice. The principle of chance is a central element for him, precisely also in the series “Wheel of Fortune” (WOF) presented here. Further tools are the web search and also the appropriation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) with its image production according to text.

We have arrived at the age of complete technical reproducibility. Everybody can copy everything. The claim to create something really new, completely free of what is already existing, becomes a utopian idea.

Does it make a difference whether one moves an arm to paint, or a Titian, or a Jeff Koons, has others brush oil on canvas for him according to strict formulas, or whether a machine does the job? Does Jackson Pollok paint himself, though he merely used gravity and performed the movement over the canvas without ever actually touching it? Is it art when a photographer “just” pulls the trigger and sends film to the lab? – Yes, it is. The question remains: where does art-making begin and where does it stop? One could argue that once something is physically manifested, the miracle has already happened, evidence has been created, and an artifact has been produced.

However, this debate is completely open, not least because in our generation there are new levels to think about, for example through the addition of purely digital art, keyword NFT. Robot-assisted drawing, as in the series of works described here, uses just another tool. Every era has a tendency to bring forth its contemporary style through new technical inventions in image making – think of the Camera Obscura, oil paint in tubes, or the influences of photographic technology on painting. If the artist does not use them, he tends to become irrelevant. According to Schager, every great artist’s career is linked to technical achievements. The process of making art is becoming more complex, and the implementation of contemporary artistic practices is now more like a high-tech laboratory than the classic notion of the studio.

The making process for the WOF: 1. collecting images; 2. randomly choosing from this collection, with AI or through a web search; 3. digitally collaging these images or gradually integrating the gradually randomly chosen imagery; 4. converting to halftones; 5. making vectors for the plotter; 6. working on the machine 7. evaluating the results.

In this way, a cooperation between man and machine is created that allows co-creativity, producing new positions and mechanized aesthetics.

Sebastian Schager, born 1984 lives and works in Vienna. He founded the artist group PERFEKT WORLD in 2007 and today works as an artist, gallery owner, curator, graphic designer and project coordinator.

Edit after an artist statement by Michael Schmitz / Ag18 Galerie Vienna