Pale Flare: Blurring Inner and Outer Worlds
Words by Lena Manger
Interview by James Elliott
Most photographs draw you into someone else’s world. Bangkok-based visual artist Pale Flare, however, invites you to step into your own. Navigating the terrain of mental health, identity, and mortality, Pale Flare’s art—a blend of photography and AI-generated elements—explores the depths of our collective human experience through an existential lens.
The figures in their work often appear anonymous or emotionally distant. By stripping them of their identity, the artist invites us to look more deeply within ourselves. Drawn in by a subtle sense of eeriness and discomfort, the viewer encounters a faceless canvas that mirrors more than it reveals. Bearing the weight of collective memory and shared fear, the figures are surrounded by a symbolic presence and rich metaphoric resonance, further accelerated by the use of gloomy, surrealistic elements. Rather than following a linear narrative, we are invited into a shared, directionless space where our feelings, memories, dreams, and fantasies reshape reality.
Symbols of turmoil and destruction—thorns, shards of glass, lightning, fire—evoke the delicate fragility and impermanent nature of the human body and mind. Like shattered fragments of a dream that linger long after waking, they reveal the unseen layers beneath the surface and draw the intangible into focus.
Largely self-taught, Pale Flare began their career in traditional photography. Given the inherently conceptual nature of their work, they soon began incorporating AI-generated imagery into their practice. Seeking to express more abstract, intangible ideas, they seamlessly weave the realism of photography with the boundless imagination of AI-art.
As AI sparks widespread debate in the art world, the visual artist shares their perspective on the matter, whilst discussing recurring motifs and symbols in their work.
Phantasy: Hi Pale Flare, thank you so much for your time today. Could you please introduce yourself?
Pale Flare: I'm a visual artist based in Bangkok. My practice began 15 years ago with conceptual photography, exploring themes such as mental health, the cycle of life, and the overlooked beauty in everyday moments.
Over time, I became more interested in the ways images can carry meaning through ambiguity and symbolism. This led me to integrate AI-generated elements into my practice. It allows me to realise visual ideas that might be difficult to capture with a camera alone, and more importantly, to detach the image from a specific identity. In doing so, the figures become more universal, acting as representations for emotions or thoughts rather than depictions of real people.
“In my images, an individual’s identity is usually not the focal point. By removing identifying features, the figure becomes somewhat like a mirror, allowing the viewer not just to observe, but to see
themselves within it.”
Phantasy: How did you arrive at your current style?
Pale Flare: My style developed organically over time. In the early days, I often found myself photographing people with their faces obscured or turned away. Through that process, I discovered that I was less interested in capturing individual identity and more drawn to using the human figure as a symbolic presence, something that represents a feeling, idea, or state of being. Visually, I’ve been deeply influenced by many photographers, including Rinko Kawauchi, Lieko Shiga, and Ren Hang, as well as the atmospheric storytelling found in films, particularly those from the 1990s to 2010s. However, the content or narrative of my images tends to come from a more personal place, inspired by specific encounters, stories people have shared with me, everyday observations, and my own dreams.
Phantasy: There seems to be a sense of world-building in your work, with recurring motifs, familiar landscapes. Was this intentional, or was it a byproduct of the tools that you use?
Pale Flare: I think a sense of world-building has always been present in my work because I usually start from an idea or concept rather than capturing spontaneous moments. To make these constructed scenes feel more natural, I try to balance them with a sense of tangible realism. By including elements or settings that feel lived-in, but not too distracting, to suggest a world that extends beyond the frame. The tools I use simply help me achieve the results more efficiently.
Phantasy: Uniforms, monochromatic suits and eerie office cubicles, looking at your work, it feels like uniformity is a theme that is central to your message. Is this something that you were trying to express?
Pale Flare: Uniformity is one of the themes in my work. In our modern world, uniforms and corporate attire often suppress individuality in favour of a collective identity. They are no longer specific people, but vessels for a shared emotion or a collective human experience.
Phantasy: And surrealism seems to be another central theme? How does surrealism best serve the message you are trying to convey?
Pale Flare: Many aspects of life, though real, are invisible, like emotions, memories, or internal struggles. For me, surrealism is a powerful tool for expressing those unseen layers. It allows me to capture the essence of an idea or feeling without being too literal, and that resulting ambiguity creates an open space for viewers to interpret the work in their own way.
“Nature plays many roles in my work. At times, its presence is literal, a simple backdrop for a scene. It also serves a symbolic purpose, becoming a visual representation for our internal struggles, emotional obstacles, or the unpredictable forces we constantly face in our lives.”
Phantasy: How exactly do you craft your images? Is it AI? Photography? A mix of the two or even other processes?
Pale Flare: In order to realise a concept, my workflow is quite flexible and varies from image to image. The process might begin with a photograph or a sketch that serves as the foundational element, or I might generate an entire scene with AI from the ground up.
The process is rarely linear, often involving an iterative back-and-forth between these tools until the image aligns with my vision. Ultimately, my primary goal is to create a seamless final image that evokes a specific feeling and communicates an idea as I envisioned it, regardless of the method used.
Phantasy: Without going into specific details, if you don’t want to, but is there something that you do in your creative process that you feel is quite unusual?
Pale Flare: While much of my creative process is likely not radically different from other artists, my approach to working with AI might be where it differs. I tend to avoid being overly specific or too literal in my prompts. It’s a bit hard to explain without being too technical or too long, but in essence, if you use the same kinds of prompts as everyone else, or rely on AI like ChatGPT to create prompts for you, the results often feel dull and uninteresting. I try to push the AI to think outside the box in various ways, like using unrelated or paradoxical words, open-ended concepts, or phrases that can be interpreted in multiple ways. There’s no fixed formula, and I’m not suggesting this is the only correct approach. It’s simply how I like to work.
Another thing is that I don’t really experience creative block. Ideas come to me quite naturally. I often feel like I can access and “speak to” a subconscious part of myself. I’m not sure if that’s exactly what it is, but it feels like I can tap into something beneath the surface whenever I need to.
Phantasy: What has been the reception to your work so far?
Pale Flare: The reception to my work has been mostly positive, which I’m grateful for. Naturally, the use of AI is a topic of great interest and debate in the art world right now, and it brings out strong opinions. My approach is to engage in these discussions where nuance and good faith are possible, such as in interviews, direct conversations, or artist talks. I find that when people have the space to engage deeply, the conversations are incredibly rewarding.
Phantasy: What are your thoughts on the ethical use of this new technology?
Pale Flare: I believe the ethical questions surrounding AI are not only valid but essential. As artists using new technologies, we have a responsibility to be part of the conversation and help establish thoughtful best practices.
My principle is that ethics reside with the creator, not the tool. A camera can be used to create art or to violate someone's privacy. The ethics are determined by the photographer's choices. I view AI in the same way. What matters is how it's used.
Ultimately, an artist's responsibility remains the same regardless of the tools they use. Creating harmful or non-consensual images of a real person, for example, is unethical whether it's done with AI, a camera, or by hand.
Phantasy: With the advent of new technology, how do you feel about old technology or techniques being left behind? Do you think we have a responsibility to preserve some of these traditions?
Pale Flare: I think it’s natural for things to change when new technology emerges. It’s always been that way.
New tools often replace older ones. In an ideal world, all technologies and techniques would continue to exist, but in reality, it's not always possible to preserve them. Sometimes it’s simply out of our hands. For example, certain types of film can’t be used anymore because they’re no longer being manufactured, including the chemicals needed to develop them. Some materials become unavailable when companies shut down. So while I do think it’s important to preserve what we can, we also have to accept that not everything can be saved.
Phantasy: How do you see AI reshaping the art industry?
Pale Flare: I think at its core, AI simply gives us more tools, and that should be a good thing. The arrival of photography didn’t erase painting; it changed it. I believe we’re experiencing a similar shift with AI. It will undoubtedly automate certain commercial or technical tasks, but that also opens up space for other forms of art to grow, adapt, or redefine themselves. There’s still so much potential in AI, both on its own and when combined with other mediums.
Phantasy: In your opinion, what is the most exciting development that is emerging out of this intersection of art, AI and fashion?
Pale Flare: I think it's the new way to create things, along with the vast range of possibilities it opens up. It allows people to explore ideas that might have been impossible or impractical before, often in faster or more experimental ways. Of course, AI has its limitations, but so does every tool or medium.
Phantasy: Do you have any future plans that you would like to share with us?
Pale Flare: I’m planning to release my first photobook at the end of the year, which I’m very excited about. Recently, I’ve gained a lot of followers from Japan. It's actually become the majority of my audience, so I hope to have the opportunity to show my work there in the future. I'm also exploring the possibility of collaborating with other artists, which is something I’m really looking forward to.
Phantasy: Finally, could you please tell us your favourite story?
Pale Flare: One of my favourite stories is from the film Kotoko by Shinya Tsukamoto. It’s a story about a single mother who struggles with a mental illness that causes her to see doubles of people she meets, making it hard for her to distinguish reality from delusion. Fearing she'll harm her baby, she sends him to live with her sister, which deepens her isolation and spirals her into a destructive relationship. The film follows her descent into chaos and her desperate attempts to hold on to love, sanity, and motherhood.
