Enshi Liu

Artist Catalogue

Virtual Exhibition

Group Catalogue Site

The relationship between humankind and technology has been a salient concern for many artists of the 21st-century. The emergence of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, virtual and augmented reality, data science, the internet of things, and computer-aided design and manufacturing has greatly revolutionised the ways we interact with the world around us. These new technologies allow us to modify parts of the environment into objects and tools that help us reach into higher transcendence but, at the same time, the tools we created also modified us.

Every object created today can be characterised as either useful or useless. When we claim something to be useful or useless, we are making a value statement: how and why is one object more significant than another different one? What is the relationship between the dichotomies and is the label of usefulness and uselessness fixed, or does it change over time? The value and meaning of an object are different to every individual. Some will see these objects as waste products, whereas others believe that these objects hold sentimental values.

I have always been fascinated with object construction. I enjoy the process of deconstructing and deciphering the object’s structure by exploring its functions and internal mechanisms. Conceptually, my works were influenced by Dada, Surrealism, and Chindogu art forms as well as Guy Debord’s thesis titled Society of the Spectacle which speaks about the society we live in under the influence of capitalism. My work focuses on the transient moments of daily life by creating art that is often nonsensical, absurd, dream-like, symbolic, and ironic.

(Im)possibilities: Technology and the Urban Experience is an exhibition comprising of four parts: Maquettes, Tiny Machines, The Seven Deadly Sins of Modern Society Series, and Absurd Creations. Each of these sections deals with a different aspect of absurd sculptures ranging from kinetic maquettes to motorised machines to manually operated contraptions and automatons. The interactive sculptures transform the audience from a spectator into a participant.

Each section of the exhibition reflects a stage of my creative process that forms part of the whole. The four segments are interconnected because it shares the same themes and purpose. My artworks reject capitalism and consumerism by embracing the absurd and mundane.

This year’s pandemic has made artmaking very challenging and different because my access to equipment, materials, and staff is limited. I use scrap materials and objects that are easily accessible around me to create art. I chose to use these materials not only for its ubiquity and accessibility but also because each of the used objects told a story and served a purpose. These meaningful objects add an extra layer of meaning to my artworks.