Unzipping the future

[Photo provided to China Daily]

Wu, who is an artist and a teacher at the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, says that while the artworks provide unreal and fascinating visual effects, they also invite viewers to reflect on the reality that people's lives are very integrated with digital technologies and wireless networks, especially through mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.

He says that is why the exhibition is titled .zip, after the archive file format which supports data compression.

The artworks contain almost all the digital formats that have become common, such as .txt (text), .jpg (image), .gif (graphics) and.mp3(audio).

"The exhibition is like a zip file compressing all the formats into one package," says Wu.

"When the viewers see the works, it is like they are 'unzipping' compressed data.

"They are shocked and amazed as they find it difficult to distinguish between real and unreal."

Artist Shi Chuan says the exhibition keeps pace with the times and "provides an angle to reconsider the role of technology and how it has changed an artist's approach to work."

The centerpiece of the exhibition is the museum's 14-meter high main hall which is transformed into a "box of black and white"－two walls and the floor are painted white, and the other two walls and the ceiling are black.