Neon Lights without Programming
By Juan Xu
Shanghai artist Zi Pu (real name Zhang Wenhua) began his artistic journey in the 1980s in Nanchang, his birthplace and alma mater. From the 1980s to the present, from Jiangxi to Shanghai, he has traversed time and space to witness the miraculous transformations in China and the world: the rapid economic development following the reform and opening-up, the surge of contemporary art trends, and the quiet rise of the internet and artificial intelligence. Zi Pu's artistic journey has become a convergence point between the era and the individual, a unique artistic rendition.
Oil painting was Zi Pu's primary mode of artistic expression in his early years. However, after attending the Documenta in Kassel and the Venice Biennale in 2017, he began to feel that painting alone could no longer fully express his innermost thoughts. In 2018, he transitioned to installation art. The impact of three years of the pandemic and the successive deaths of close friends further propelled his evolution towards installation art guided by artificial intelligence, with themes of personal autonomy and freedom. Using his unique artistic language, he seeks an inner "Peach Blossom Spring," placing the individual within the cosmos.
Like many contemporary artists, Zi Pu is an idealist. He once tirelessly pursued the "beauty" of art. In recent years, his artistic concepts have been significantly influenced by Argentine artist Tomás Saraceno. Saraceno is not only a proponent of utopia but also a practitioner, attempting to integrate art, technology, and politics into a multidimensional artistic ecosystem devoid of formulaic constraints and fixed forms. Thus, Zi Pu also strives to break away from the monotony of traditional creation by incorporating diverse themes to expand the boundaries of art. His works aspire to explore the limits of new media, combining artificial intelligence and 3D technology, and utilizing various contemporary materials such as diffused light, acrylic, ceramics, wood, metal, glass, springs, and neon lights to create layered works that seem to touch the warmth of the soul with cold metal.
Zi Pu attempts to use reflective mirrors and enclosed stainless steel spaces to simulate "the reality of the individual in the world," responding to the growing alienation between individuals and nature in the digital society and the impact of artificial intelligence on human relationships. He strives to transcend the frameworks of Eastern and Western art and philosophy, exploring the middle ground and tension between rationality and sensibility in contemporary art within a technological context. Zi Pu's works not only scrutinize the era and social ecology we live in but also reflect on contemporary humanity's disorientation amid rapid technological advancements. His recent works vividly express this state of aphasia, prompting viewers to ponder the complex relationship between human spiritual obsessions, individual disorientation, and anxiety in the age of the internet and AI.
In his upcoming solo exhibition at the 1933 Old Millfun in Shanghai, artist Zi Pu will delve deeply into the complex relationship between artificial intelligence and artistic innovation, guiding the audience to reflect on whether humanity is losing "self-awareness" under the impact of high technology or becoming more autonomous through AI. This unique artistic approach leads the audience into an enlightening aesthetic realm, like wandering through a dreamlike neon landscape, feeling a touch of sincerity and coolness.
November 30, 2023
Wiesbaden, Germany
