"This is your last chance, and once you make it, there's no turning back.
Swallow the blue pill and it's over, you wake up in your own bed and go on believing all you want to believe.
Swallow the red pill and you'll stay in Wonderland, and I'll show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. "
This is a multiple-choice question left by the wise man Memphis to the protagonist Neo in the movie "The Matrix".
In this post-human era where technology "invades" every aspect of life, all of us are just like the protagonist Neo-indulging in the beautiful life brought by technology. However, under this beauty, after all, we can often feel the uncertain "turbulence" brought about by the rapid development of technology. Everything is possible, but what kind of possibility is there?
Tian Xiaolei - one of the most watched digital artists in China today, like Memphis, sincerely handed over his works of art to us who are swayed by technology - the star that can break the "ordinary" daily life and walk into the "truth" Red Pill:
·In 2017, "Great" showed us the new look of the world after the mutual domestication of technology and people in the future.
·In 2019, "The Creator" explored the issue of belief in the future, and sounded the alarm for us who are extremely dependent on technology and have ever-expanding ambitions.
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What will happen to human beings in the future?
Tian Xiaolei, who was born in Beijing, can be said to have followed the road of art from childhood to adulthood. He feels very lucky that he has been able to take art as a profession after graduation and has been doing so until today. In addition to endowing Tian Xiaolei with strong creative ability, systematic art education also enables him to surpass ordinary people—to observe all aspects of life from a more philosophical perspective.
With the continuous upgrading of mobile phone functions, the realization of fully automatic production, and the success of artificial organs, the relationship between technology and people today is so natural that "I am in you, and you are in me". Most of the time we are so used to it that we ignore technology. While bringing us happiness, it can also give us the same degree of crisis in the future.
In the work "The Creator", artist Tian Xiaolei raised various philosophical questions with his keen insight:
When technology can really help human beings break through the limitations of nature, crown human beings as gods, and move towards the road of transforming species as they like, how will human beings deal with the relationship between themselves and technology?
When the proportion of science and technology in the human body is infinitely extended, how can human beings ensure the absolute leadership of their own consciousness?
In the face of this greater unknown, where can the new technological human beings who have personally broken the original statues and moved towards the gods of the earth place their own spiritual world?
If "The Creator" reveals the crisis of the spiritual dimension of human beings in the future, then "Binary" shows the terrifying physical changes that technology may bring to human beings in the future.
In "Binary", Tian Xiaolei shows us the possible state of future human beings using technology to break through the rules of natural evolution and dominate their own genes - the human body is no longer a single "meat", but a symbiosis composed of a mixture of multiple technologies . Rubber, fur, circuit boards, electronic programs, etc. are combined with the physical body in the binary way that computers are used to, which weirdly and absurdly heralds the "distortion" that human beings may encounter in the future development. The beauty of science and technology is broken and torn apart here, and the crisis that human beings face is instantly revealed when artificial intelligence takes over the control of the main body and turns into a hybrid monster.
Where will mankind go in the future? Is it a combination of man and machine? Or a complete hybrid monster? Do we really want to?
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The current state of human beings is another dimension of my thinking
Compared with works of art that explore future human beliefs and evolution issues from a macro perspective (such as: "The Creator" and "Binary"), artist Tian Xiaolei has another major dimension of thinking and creation--the current human beings in the information age. state.
Among Tian Xiaolei's many works aimed at the state of large groups of human beings, "Island" is the sharpest and most poetic work.
The triangular relationship between people, technology and living environment, which needs to be maintained by today's human beings, is presented in this way in "The Isolated Island":
The vast sea is like a boundless universe, which can contain everything and swallow everything. Astronauts point to us humans who create and use technology. On the top of the astronaut's head, the elements that are as tired as a high-rise building like a Jenga music represent the technology and civilization accumulated by human beings since their birth. There are so many elements above the astronaut's head, but the space for him to move under his feet (the living environment of human beings in reality) is so narrow-just a stone pillar. The complexity of technology initially makes people feel an increasing sense of security and strength, but when you go deeper, you can find that there is irreversible environmental damage under the advanced technology. The life-saving technology here has become a sharp weapon for killing.
In addition to the investigation of the collective state of human beings, the emotional communication state of individual human beings has also been incorporated into Tian Xiaolei's creation. Communication is one of the most impressive works of this type. The first feeling of this work is that it is cold - people do not need to open their mouths and look into their eyes to communicate. One hand, one phone screen can convey everything. The fiery popularity completely disappeared, replaced by petrified legs and ghostly digital thinking.
The world, others, and self can all be displayed in front of us through data, but such a display is a cold transmission of mechanical, temperature-free, and memory-free. Looking at the work "Communication", we can't help but reflect on the "authenticity" and "effectiveness" of things displayed through data links.
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BCA Gallery opens its first exhibition
"READY PLAYER #1"
In the BCA Gallery, we will bid farewell to the quiet viewing experience. "Ready Player #1" invites four phenomenal young digital artists to exhibit their works independently in the exhibition hall. The light tunnel runs through the space and is presented continuously during the exhibition period. Rock, Digital, Techno, Pop and other types of music scenes, related NFT works, Poap and other airdrops and subscriptions will also be presented on the MetaOpus platform at the same time.
Standing at the gate of BCA Gallery, please forget the rules of this world, press Start to explore in the metaverse constructed by art, lighting, music, and crowds, use the avatar with complete eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body to perceive the new world, and the number one player Let's celebrate the future experience of Web3.0 together. That's right, this is not a passing dance. The blockchain is marking every time you exercise your rights. The world is changing because of your confirmation. Press Start from here!
Participating Artists
Great Compassion Universe, Chi Lei, Chen Tianzhuo, Tian Xiaolei
Rollover Dates
2021.12.24 ——2022.2.24
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Producer: Sun Bohan
Sponsor: BCA Gallery
Co-organizers: Vulcan DAO, ArtAlpha Art Alpha
Producer: Sun Bohan
Visual design: so many designs
Visual design: so many designs
