Kezia Barnett, New Zealand/British artist and award-winning filmmaker known as KEZIAI, was one of the featured artists whose work was shown in the British Art Fair’s PIVOTAL: Digitalism exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in London in September 2024.

The exhibition celebrated the best of British digital art, highlighting innovative and boundary-pushing artists. A grant recipient of Arts Access Aotearoa’s Accessibility Impact Fund, Kezia showcased her series, Deserted Realities. 

The one-off fund was made possible with a grant to Arts Access Aotearoa through Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage’s Regeneration Fund.

Through her work, Kezia conveys a message about the transformative potential of technology and creativity. Rebekah Tolley-Georgiou, curator of PIVOTAL: Digitalism, wrote that KEZIAI’s practice defies boundaries. Read more about KEZIAI

“Her ability to merge the language of traditional cinematic storytelling with the innovative world of AI is unlike anything I’ve seen … Her art sparks conversation and emotion … Her work resonated deeply with visitors, undoubtedly leaving a lasting impression on both seasoned collectors and those new to the digital art scene.”

Stace Robertson, Lead Accessibility Advisor at Arts Access Aotearoa, says the organisation was pleased to support Kezia’s international exhibition and profile as her “work demonstrates her commitment to innovation, pushing artistic boundaries and embracing new forms of expression.”

Creative path takes an unexpected turn

With more than 25 years of experience in film direction and photography, Kezia’s creative path took an unexpected turn when she fell ill after contracting a virus overseas and then sustaining a severe concussion. After being diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis, she was also diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome. 

In July 2022, during a severe health crash, she found herself barely able to move, let alone create art. The one thing she could do was use her phone lying down. Using an AI text-to-image app, she input her vision. 

“When I got the first images back my heart sang,” she recalls. “I literally put my hand to my heart and felt hope, relief and excitement, revelation, liberation and newfound opportunity.”

Kezia says that Web3, a new iteration of the world wide web, has opened the door to a huge online community of interesting, like-minded people, many of whom are also living with various disabilities and health challenges.

“There’s a whole level of accessibility that the Web3 world offers,” she explains. “Because I’m no longer able to be on film sets, I looked for ways to continue creating imaginary worlds and telling stories.”

AI like talking to a friend

For Kezia, AI is the perfect creative partner. She describes working with AI like talking to a friend. “With AI, I create directly from my imagination from my bed. Learning and creating are great painkillers. Creating is my raison d'être. It’s been my drive, my meaning.”

Kezia’s work demonstrates that art can be a means to overcoming obstacles, pivoting and finding new ways of self-expression and connectivity.

“AI has saved my life in a way,” she explains. “It’s enabled me, given me back my voice and rekindled my creative spirit.”

KEZIAI aims to make art that resonates universally, sheds light on “invisible” chronic illnesses, raises awareness and engages others. 

Beyond her digital art, Kezia has made significant contributions to a variety of creative disciplines. Her ongoing Daily Photo series, a decades-long collection of self-portraits, captures the evolution of her identity.

And her experimental dance film Nurse Me has been celebrated at prestigious international festivals, including the BAFTA-qualifying Aesthetica Short Film Festival.

“In the new year, I’m looking forward to working with The Gardening.club AI and Fellowship’s daily.xyz, as well as progressing AI projects that have been in development in my head for a long time. The tech is moving at warp speed and curiosity got this cat!”