The title “You are not a gadget” comes from the namesake book of Jaron Lanier, A well-known American computer scientist and writer. He invented the term “virtual reality” in the early 1980s and has written on the political motives and ideological implications hidden behind the Internet’s existence as a means of information dissemination and knowledge production, much of which is included in his new book “You are not a gadget” (2010). This influential work reminds us that the Internet, generally seen as a channel or platform for receiving and sending out information, is far from a mere technological entity. Rather, the Internet influences and forms our judgment and world outlook without our awareness. Artists taking part in this exhibit keep a curious and critical attitude toward the fact that the Internet is already a part of their lives and work, and the works in this exhibit reveal some of their reflection and discussion about the nature of the Internet.

Exhibit title from Jaron Lanier's "You Are Not A Gadget".

Curator: Carol Yinghua Lu
Artist List: Chen Shaoxiong, Huang Ran, Jin Shan, Leng Wen, Lu Zhengyuan, Yan Xing, Zhuang Hui & Dan’er