Perfected, Undressed, Aged, or Professionalized by an Algorithm: Facetune Portraits

In the digital world, perfection has a code.

Through Facetune Portraits, artist Gretchen Andrew explores what it means to be perfected, undressed, aged, or professionalized by an algorithm. Her work examines how AI-powered tools, often disguised as playful filters, quietly standardize our appearance—and our sense of self.

What does it mean when your image can be instantly “corrected” to fit an invisible ideal? When being more “professional” is just a data-driven adjustment away? Andrew’s series exposes how the digital desire for improvement morphs into an algorithmic expectation of conformity.

By engaging with everyday beauty technology like Facetune, Andrew’s portraits reveal the intimate relationship between visibility and control. Whether the algorithm adds wrinkles, smooths them away, or adjusts your expression for LinkedIn, the transformation isn’t neutral—it’s cultural.

The Facetune Portraits remind us that in being edited, we are also defined.

Through this work, Andrew asks: Who benefits when an algorithm decides what’s worth seeing?