Artist Spotlight: Leo Eiswert

Leonard Eiswert’s ‘26 new ekphrastic (an artwork that is accompanied by a poem) is genuinely one of a kind. Titled “Endless Regurgitation,” this piece is not to be praised just for its physical beauty, but it should be revered for its sentiments on modern society. The sculpture part of the work consists of a six-foot-long trough with two figures at opposite ends. One of these figures is vomiting a putrid, green substance, while the other kneels over the horrid trough, its cupped hands guiding the substance to its mouth, consuming it, only to vomit it again in a cycle of “Endless Regurgitation.” Paired with this seemingly disturbing sculpture is a poem, burned onto a wooden plaque mounted on a stand. The poem reads,

“Feeding is circular;

The rose was saturated in sludge. 

Empty red lungs.

Must I now covet ambiguity?

My vision’s grown grey.

The machine churns.

It cares not what it consumes.

Emuldified color pours from the mouths of the sated.

I, too, cup my hands.”

The poem and accompanying sculpture describe a violent cycle. The reconsumption of ideas and opinions and the constant spewing of nonsensical ideas have become the norm in modern society. Moreover, the use of large AI models has eroded creativity and created a reliance on “AI Slop,” or digital content made with generative AI that lacks effort, quality, or meaning. This looming threat against creativity and human thought has stirred many conversations in the Upper School, like Matt Frankovich’s ‘27 reflection, “misinformation gets mass produced, creating public distrust. The false claims can spread faster than fact checkers.” Through his sculpture, Leo was able to capitalize on our deepest fears and captivate the student body with his methodical work.  

Overall, Leo’s darkly twisted art is indicative of the depreciation of human consciousness and individual thoughts and ideas, and, therefore, also reflects the sombering effects of AI. However, even with this extension to AI in mind, students and faculty alike clamour for the use of AI for various tasks, such as Liam Digges '27, who states, “There are some interesting uses of AI, for instance, I use an AI to show me how I would look with various different haircuts.” Meanwhile, Bryce DeBoer, Upper School Math Teacher, “usually [uses] it to help design assignments and proofread emails.” 

Leo’s witty masterpiece clashes with the notion of modern dependence on AI and calls for human reason and the fruit of human thought. Yet, Leo’s cryptic poetic lines also acknowledge the bleak truth. As more and more resources are invested in large AI companies and more and more students are facing judicial discipline for AI infractions before the honor council, we, as a student body, must decide whether we will or will not “cup [our] hands” and become a cog in the never-ending modern-day AI machine that churns, and according to Leo, it “does not care what it consumes.”

Leo Eiswert’s “Endless Regurgitation” will be on view in the sculpture garden (Outside of the Gilman School Store) for the remainder of the 2025-2026 school year.