In mid-December 2023, :iidrr Gallery and AAAAH! Culture held an art exhibition called “Radiant” on the west side of Union Square in New York. With its colorful content and profound discussions, the exhibition quickly became the cultural focus of the city, attracting more than 20,000 visitors. The exhibition brings together artists from all over the world. They use their own unique creative methods to not only present a visual feast, but also to think deeply about how digital media affects the expression of artistic creation.

The “Radiant” exhibition places particular emphasis on the evolving interaction between traditional tactile art and digital media. The works on display cover a variety of forms, from photography to installation art, textile art, etc., aiming to demonstrate the intersection and contrast between physical textures and digital pixels that blur the boundaries. Participating artists include Annika Cheng, Jingyi Gao, Phoelix (Yiwen), Kendrick Holmes, Sabrina Sommer, Jesus Daniel Lopez, Chelsea Ning, Steven Uccello, Roopa Vasudevan, Royee Weng, Yuning Wang and Feimo Zhu. They use the physical properties of materials combined with personal perception to create richly layered and interactive works that not only interpret the exhibition theme but also reflect social changes.

In the exhibition, the artists blurred the boundaries between traditional art and digital media through their unique perspectives and creative techniques. While their works visually present the theme of the exhibition, they also deeply reflect the innovative dialogue and exploration between the physical and digital realms of art in contemporary society. These works raise new questions about art itself, challenging our traditional views on identity, culture and technology.

The works in the exhibition jointly explore in a coherent and complementary way the interaction and integration of traditional art and modern technology in the context of the digital age, as well as the re-construction of individual identity, culture and technology in the process. For example, Annika Cheng’s “Face Changing” and “Dreaming of Practice, Practicing Dreaming” explore the rebirth of traditional art forms in modern culture, combining fiber art and traditional Chinese face-changing art to explore the fluidity and diversity of cultural identities. Immediately afterwards, this theme was extended in Jingyi Gao’s “It is us“. By combining the human body with digital technology, she explores the interaction between the physical and virtual worlds, further exploring the struggle, integration and symbiosis between the human body and the environment. This exploration demonstrates the interaction between individuals and the environment in the digital age, and also reflects the complexity of individual identity in modern society and how humans identify themselves. Chelsea Ning’s “If not here, where” continues to explore the expression of identity in physical and digital spaces in a more introspective way, using traditional textile and photography techniques. By reflecting on identifiable objects and themes, her work delves into the place and agency of individuals in different cultural and environmental contexts, echoing the previous two artists’ reflections on identity and cultural heritage. Steven Uccello’s “Obsolete” series leads this discussion into the field of technological evolution. By displaying elements of old-school video game engines, his work not only presents the contrast and fusion between old and new art forms, but also reflects the challenges and impact of new technologies on traditional artistic expression, thereby forming an interesting dialogue with the work of other artists.

In this exhibition, the audience is not just a passive viewer, but becomes a part of the artistic creation. This interactive experience allows viewers to more intuitively feel the interweaving between physical textures and digital pixels, allowing them to gain a deeper understanding of the artist’s creative intentions and the deeper meaning of the artwork. The “Radiant” exhibition is not only a visual and sensory feast, but also a profound exploration of the integration of traditional art and digital media. It not only successfully demonstrates the evolution of art in the context of the digital age, but also promotes exchanges and dialogues between artists, audiences, and different cultural and technological fields. This kind of cross-border artistic exploration provides us with a new perspective to rethink the role and impact of art, technology and identity in contemporary society. It also opens up new paths and possibilities for the future development of contemporary art.

(Text: Yubing Li)

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