aaajiao discusses the simulation of reality and visual corruption

aaajiao discusses the simulation of reality and visual corruption

Interview/written by Chen Jiaying.

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AIKE is currently hosting aaajiao's solo exhibition "Cave Simulator." In the following text, aaajiao revisits his multimedia creations over the past three years, including his continuing reflections on "visual corruption" and a declaration on a new virtual identity.

The article below is sourced from ARTFORUM Chinese website,

From users and Internet bots to players, aaajiao (Xu Wenkai) reflects the evolving online identities of the millennial generation through his creations. These transformations concern not only how we perceive a reality infiltrated by the internet but also how individuals recalibrate authenticity amidst these identity shifts. They also pertain to a form of agency inspired by the data-driven world. "Cave Simulator" is not just a metaphor crafted from the perspective of a gamer, but rather a paradigm for reconfiguring simulation and reality. Through this paradigm, we can question every layer of what was previously assumed as reality. In the era of post-truth, this perspective might be something that everyone can adopt. In this article, aaajiao revisits his multimedia creations over the past three years, including his ongoing reflections on "visual corruption" and his declaration of a new virtual identity. "Cave Simulator" is on display at AIKE Gallery in Shanghai until June 21, 2020.

My creative work has undergone several transformations: the exhibitions from 2013 to 2014 were focused on the "Screen Generation"—a generation characterized by extensive interaction with screens and their modes of existence. Unlike the early computer and internet users who possessed ample knowledge and significant administrative privileges, users of the Screen Generation no longer command an omniscient or omnipotent perspective over cyberspace; instead, they find themselves isolated from the data world by the screens. The user has become the principal digital identity for this generation. To me, the most crucial aspect is understanding the individual’s situation as a user. This understanding has unconsciously linked my work to the concept of "memory," as we increasingly rely on memory to describe our circumstances. I began to shift my focus towards bots, emphasizing how the internet reshapes our memories. I proposed the concept of "external memory" as a clue, referring to information systems external to our physical bodies, such as photo albums on our phones and posts on social media. The manner in which this information exists is akin to memory. You become concerned about the attention and comments it attracts, and sometimes you might even search for something posted decades ago. When you revisit these, you find that, like memory, they have evolved alongside you. The term 'bot' refers to a type of Internet bot, specifically a web crawler, which extensively searches for information, extracting keywords and necessary data into databases. To me, we engage with our external memories in a similar way, a process that fosters links across the multifaceted "self." As we identify ourselves as users and construct ourselves in the manner of bots, we are confronted with a dilemma about “truth.”

I contend that a new mode of perception is required, one that is premised upon the identity of the "player." Not all users are players; to be a player implies an awareness of one's surroundings. I refer to the environment in which a player operates as a simulator. A perfect simulator can be understood as a parallel universe, yet, even if imperfect, it also represents an expandable, dynamic world.

I aim to communicate to the audience the potential of us as players through the exhibition "Cave Simulator." Viewing from the perspective of a player allows one to penetrate through layers of simulators, thereby accessing a truth that may be simultaneously singular and multiple. In fact, games based on simulators, such as Totally Accurate Battle Simulator and Pigeon Simulator, have only developed in recent years. The perspective of the game and computing power have evolved in tandem; previously, we could only have a so-called worldview, which is the user acting within a prescribed scene and perspective, rather than a subjective perspective of the simulator—a fissure, to my understanding. Seeing the first fissure on the simulator, emerging from it to return to the operational level, and then observing the operational "self" in the manner of a player, through this process of moving from the inside out, I am indeed questioning the authenticity of reality. It can even be posited that the reality in which I exist is also a simulator. I hope to explore the fissures of reality through creative expression, allowing me to see beyond the simulator, or rather, my question is whether we have the opportunity to penetrate a simulator from the player’s perspective. I intend for this exhibition to serve as a declaration, encouraging the audience to adopt the same perspective to view the world and to discover the truths that exist as fissures.

Under the observational mode of players, the visual outcome can arguably be considered an illusion, with only the process revealing the computation. Thus, "traces" become the vehicle through which I experience the computational processes of the real world. The materials I utilize are particularly prone to leaving traces, such as the plastic foam used in the transportation industry to protect goods during shipment. Transportation logistics represent a management system controlled through calculation, which, while hidden within our everyday lives, concretizes the computational processes into various forms such as supply, demand, and storage. Additionally, I employ unstable materials like rosin and liquid metal to present "traces." The emphasis on "traces" is significant not only because they disclose the operations of the entire logistics system (and potentially the broader societal system) but also relate to the "visual decay" associated with the post-network movement. People engage in visual production through the desires disclosed by online data, with content producers generating empathy through extensive materials, data, and algorithms. While this brings pleasure to viewers, it also destroys the imagery. This destruction challenges the semantic function and aesthetic significance of the image itself, yet it also exposes the existence of computational power. Therefore, I opt to use pixel animations based on behavioral records to explore new modes of expression (as seen in icongif and landscape004.gif ).

The issue of "visualized data," wrapped in visual corruption, leads to the question of visualized data, the reason for reactivating my early work meta (2013-2014) in this exhibition. meta poses the fundamental question: when we confront visualized data, are we truly facing the data or merely its visualized aspect? This inquiry into the truth of data has continuously permeated my artistic creations. In this exhibition, data is transformed into plush toys, serving as an ironic comment on "corrupted visuals." From these "adorable data," spectators can experience the cuddliness afforded by the plush toys, yet the data itself remains absent.