Stephanie Sin: Rehoboam

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Sansiao Gallery HK and independent art consultant Chun Poon are delighted to present Rehoboam, a solo exhibition featuring recent works by Hong Kong based artist Stephanie Sin. Her latest series, which centers on home furnishings, leads us on a journey exploring online shopping behaviors of humans.

Rapid strides in AI (Artificial Intelligence) now see such insights widely applied, with organizations racing to build big data-related services. Many believe AI will bring prosperity, propelling our lives towards a promising future. The expectation is that AI will eventually understand us more and serve us better than we do ourselves. Perhaps it already does when we are shopping or browsing online, before we are even aware of them. Consider this: when was the last time you were surprised to see ads and suggested posts aligned perfectly with your interests?

Today, online shopping feels as if we are purchasing from an imagined future. In this virtual marketplace, we often come across flowers in artificial colors, bearing surreal hues that push the boundaries of imagination. It is common to find a piece of furniture that we need a manual to understand its purpose and function. Even more astonishingly, the inconceivable is made plausible – imagine having a bathtub by a window that offers a panoramic riverside view over a hill, a luxury most of us can only dream of. Yet, the online shopping experience presents such fantasies as achievable realities. The process is so seamless that we may not even bother to question if these needs are genuinely ours, or simply suggestions implanted by AI.

The exhibition title Rehoboam is borrowed from the name of an AI supercomputer in the HBO TV series Westworld season 3, which premiered in 2020. Although the name Rehoboam was inspired by a biblical figure bearing the same name, in the TV series, it is a supercomputer that manipulates how each human’s life will play out based on the vast store of personal data. Today, ironically, we are taking every step towards this reality. By our own choice for the sake of convenience, over time, we gradually give away our personal autonomy to AI.

ABOUT THE ARTIST / ORGANISER

Stephanie Sin received her BA (Fine Art) from RMIT University in 2008 and her MVA (Studio Arts) from HKBU in 2013.  In 2020, her work “Stalactites/Stalagmites” was selected as part of the MTR Art in Station Architecture Project, permanently displayed at Diamond Hill Station.  Stephanie participated in the Artist in Residence at the London Royal Academy of Arts in 2014.  She was the recipient of Impression. Eileen Chang. Inaugural Painting Jury Award in 2010.