Seven Wood Space will host the first solo exhibition of Sun Xiaotian, "Some Romantic Entropy Between Determinism and Chance," on Saturday, October 26, 2024. The exhibition, which is based on human geography and cybernetics, explores the possibility of collaboration between information calculation and contemporary art, revealing the complex interactions between artificial intelligence and human creation. Human creation originates from experience and imagination, while the intervention of artificial intelligence raises a new question: Can computationally generated works also be considered as creations?
In the book "Escapism" by renowned geographer Yifu Duan, it is argued that throughout human history, escapism has never stopped, and it is a constant driving force that propels people towards various destinations. Escaping from storms, returning to a warm home; escaping from noisy cities, seeking tranquility in nature; escaping from the troubles of reality, pursuing illusory fantasies. These escapist behaviors may seem to have negative connotations on the surface, but it is precisely this inner escapist mentality that has driven human material and spiritual culture towards creation and progress.
If we regard the spirit as the core of human existence, perhaps we need to view the entire universe as an amusement park. In the face of fear and uncertainty, people have turned to ancient ways such as divination or theology to peer into the future and even conquer fate. In the exhibition, the visual symbols of tarot cards are applied by artists as symbolic tools to help people understand and cope with life challenges. The artists will present seven new groups of works. They are created by the artists using artificial intelligence as an auxiliary tool, combining traditional handicrafts and industrial technologies in accordance with the exhibition theme and space.
The imaginative faculty that humans are proud of is also the source of anxiety and suffering. Despite the fact that humans often fear the cruelty of reality, the things that humans are more afraid of often exist in their thoughts. The combination of artificial intelligence and contemporary art has made us rethink the boundaries and definition of human creation. Creation is no longer a simple struggle between certainty and chance, but a romantic process of increasing entropy between the two. We wander in the intermediate landscape, both escaping the constraints of reality and pursuing the freedom of thought; both limited by the growth of information entropy and creating order and meaning locally. This exhibition is in the process of exploring these complex relationships, treating artificial intelligence and human creation as a unified romantic process. In the tension between certainty and chance, we are constantly seeking new ways of creation and spiritual anchorage.
About the Artist:
Sun Xiaotian
The cross-media artist and designer holds a PhD in Design from the Royal College of Art in the UK and Kyushu University in Japan.
The research and practice focus on sensory design and information experience. The works often present functional and romantic interactive installations, mechanical devices, and electronic systems, exploring the relationship between people and computers in the information age.
I currently live and work in Beijing.
Award
In August 2018, Design China Award, China & Denmark
In October 2015, I won the Asian Digital Art Competition Award in Japan.
June 2015, Helen Hamling Design Award 2015 nomination, UK
June 2015, 2015 Adobe Design Achievement Awards (ADAA) Social Impact Design Nomination Award
