The inaugural Beijing Art & Technology Week recently kicked off in the 798 Art District, according to The Paper. This event focuses on the collision of art and technology, with the theme "Life and Breath," and will feature a series of art exhibitions, dialogues, theatrical performances, and live music over two weeks.
During the art week, more than 60 exhibitions will be open in the 798 Art District. Among them, key exhibitions include "Chinese Contemporary Art Yearbook Exhibition: Art and Technology", "Hybrid: Wang Yuyang Solo Exhibition" at 798CUBE, and "Action World" by Tao Dance Theater, which present the exploration of the integration of art and technology from different dimensions.
Sui Jianguo Sculpture
As one of the core exhibitions of this year's art week, the "Chinese Contemporary Art Yearbook Exhibition: Art and Technology" is on display at the former Pace Space. The exhibition uses the "Art and Science" chapter of the "Chinese Contemporary Art Yearbook" as its framework, juxtaposing documents and artworks to provide a systematic review of technology-related practices in Chinese contemporary art over the past 20 years.
The "Chinese Contemporary Art Yearbook," initiated in 2005, is published annually, with 20 volumes to date, continuously recording and observing the reality and ecology of Chinese contemporary art. Based on this long-term work, the yearbook exhibition has been held annually since 2015, reviewing the art scene on an annual basis.
on site
This year's annual exhibition places special emphasis on the structural problems brought about by technological development. The curatorial team stated that, with the unprecedented pace of advancement in modern technologies such as artificial intelligence, the "rationality" represented by technology is compressing human sensibility, divinity, and holism. Human beings, as complex entities, are facing the risk of being replaced by a singular logic. Therefore, the exhibition focuses on how artists use video, installation, and sculpture to reflect on surveillance systems, algorithmic logic, and the deeper scientific and rational perspectives behind technology.
"The Underground - Surveillance & Control" is a video work showcasing an underground surveillance room in a gated community.
Beyond reflecting on technology, science and technology also showcased the new experiences it brought during the art week.
In the theater section, "Lying Flat 2.0," China's first immersive theater production deeply integrated with AI, garnered attention. Audience members deposit their electronic devices, remove their shoes, lie down on a mobile bed, and are slowly pushed into a completely dark space. Two live actors and AI work together to construct the narrative structure, guiding the audience to personalize their responses through questions about life and death. Real-time filming and AI-generated "epitaph songs" make the viewing experience exceptionally direct on a psychological and emotional level.
"Lying Flat" AI Drama
The virtual reality film section was also showcased at the 798 Art Zone's "Hyperdimensional Vision" space during this year's art week. This 3,500-square-meter space, which opened in May of this year, features six themed screening rooms. During the event, the "Borderless Vision – Virtual Reality Film 'Dragon Mark' Screening Season" officially launched, with the initial film lineup including "The Little Monster of Langlang Mountain: You and Me XR," "Mulan 2125," and "Journey to the Center of the Earth."
The Tales of the Tang Dynasty VR Space
In addition to showcasing the application of technology, the art week also focuses on how artists can reaffirm humanistic experiences in the technological age.
The "Hybrid: Wang Yuyang Solo Exhibition" at 798CUBE systematically reviews the artist's work over the past decade, showcasing the complex world he constructs between life, machinery, language, and code. The monumental installation "Symbiosis" at the exhibition entrance symbolizes the accidental entanglement between human imagination and machines; the interactive work "Dream" allows viewers to use brainwaves to drive a robotic arm to draw "dreams" on paper.
Symbiosis
During the event, the 798 Art Zone was transformed into an open "public art gallery." "Art boxes" scattered throughout the zone feature visual identifiers in shapes such as clouds and mirrors, transforming into light and shadow installations at night. Inside, they offer experiential projects including brainwave visualization, motion-sensing interaction, and emotion perception, making technology a participatory mechanism in the public space.
Super Box
