Asia NOW 2023

20 – 22 October, 2023

Special Project commissioned by gallery HATCH

Asia Now Paris Asian Art Fair, Monnaie de Paris, Paris

Our Superior Algorithm

2023

Hanging sculpture

125 x 444 cm; 49.25 x 174.75 in

Drawing inspiration from banners in Chinese Buddhist temples, commercial advertisements, and modern financial elites, this suspended textile installation assumes an ambiguous role, oscillating between a marketing message and a mantra.

The central banners feature a hand-embroidered message ostensibly from an AI-powered entity, encouraging individuals to surrender their decision-making authority to algorithms. Below the logo (titled in the Buddhist term “superior wisdom” in Mandarin) rests the Buddhist black lotus symbol in silk. The long navy-blue suit-fabric stripes are adorned with white-gold-gilded jewelry incorporating various symbols, including the Buddhist Vajra protective weapon, compasses, luxury watches, computer chips, keyholes, and Buddhist Ruyi lucky scepters. Further down, a terms-and-conditions disclaimer implies a contract concerning data usage.

By integrating these visual elements, Duyi Han aims to dissect and portray society's intricate psychology regarding AI power. On one level, the installation exudes elegance, prestige, and allure; simultaneously, it carries a sense of haunting, foreboding, and corruption. Oscillating between worship and fear, “Our Superior Algorithm” endeavors to encapsulate the psychological instant when humanity invests its faith in AI. The Buddhist form, as a religious object rooted in long-standing tradition, prompts viewers to observe and contemplate this moment as if it were a relic from the past.