btr

btr

A.I.R.

 

In today’s world where people often have clear and distinct professional roles, the creator btr defies this norm by juggling multiple identities. Still, at the core, he consistently does one thing: he continually shares his observations, be it through words or images. Through btr’s lens, the world appears more vibrant and engaging than what most of us typically perceive. As he wanders through cities, the abundance of sights often leads to the overlooking of details and particulars. Only when different elements are combined with a specific perspective do their uniqueness become apparent. However, btr excels at capturing these unique moments and intricacies. By combining them with words, he presents a series of visuals that evoke smiles and admiration.

 

This approach evokes a lineage of early modern libertine writers, especially its origin, Baudelaire under the pen of Walter Benjamin. The greedy eyes on the streets operate in a certain way: their appreciation, based on fleeting glimpses, often focuses on fashion rather than distinguishing between tastes of varying qualities. It can merely be a game to unleash the imagination or perhaps an artistic spice to ruminate on the flavor of everyday life. In today’s world, where the virtual and the tangible are so intricately intertwined, the windows on countless mobile devices have replaced the shopfronts of arcade streets. Acquiring images has become overly simple. Everyone carries tools both to observe and to broadcast their views. Therefore, what needs to be reinvigorated and democratized is the sense and methods of playing with imagination.

 

The theme of this exhibition, A.I.R., encompasses the word “air”, while also being an acronym for Artificial/Augmented, Intelligence/Imaginative, and Reality, implying “Augmented Imaginative Reality through Artificial Intelligence.” This showcases through two series: AImagi(c)nation and I Remember. In I Remember, btr adopts the logic of AI for thought processes, using it as a script for editing visuals. In AImagi(c)nation, btr hands over his original photos to AI for textual descriptions, using the “sights” AI perceives—even those that don’t exist in reality—as rules for selecting new images. One leads to two, two to four, four to eight... initiating an endless playful journey with AI. btr, inverting the dynamic, mimics AI, acting upon its directives. On the one hand, this extends his longstanding artistic approach of inventing new game rules to birth fresh visual sequences. On the other hand, it’s an opportunity to reimagine a more harmonious, equal partnership between humans and AI. To btr, the act of freeing oneself from the conventional and unleashing imagination occurs in tandem, forming the crux of his magical approach to interrelating visuals and text. In this exhibition, when AI’s illusory vision is mistakenly magnified, it manifests a peculiar, comical clumsiness, a characteristic aligning more with human vulnerability and limitation, effectively dissipating the unease brought about by unfamiliarity. This diverges from the notion of training AI to produce “art”, and also liberates us from fears of AI domination, letting the magic take effect.

 

In a world marked by rapid change and information overload, the concept of “eternity” struggles to convince us. However, affirming the value of individual life remains a potent means to withstand the massive currents of time. In other words, living artistically means turning art into a light-hearted game. This game can be extended through our daily lives or paused at any moment. Just like air, it’s available for everyone to share, which embodies btr’s aesthetic philosophy. Yet, at this moment, I’m uncertain if he would agree with me expressing it in such a solemn tone.

 

An independent artist living in Shanghai, China. He has been the podcaster of Without Borders Bistro: The Metro Ride since 2022. He is the founder of WeChat subscription account “Petite Mort” (since 2014).

Solo exhibitions include Petite Mort (New Space, 2017), Camino de Santiago (The Mix Place, 2019) and Oh My Shanghai (Ruiping Gallery, 2023). Group exhibitions include Public/Park (Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art, 2020), Transition (X-Space, 2021) and Reminiscence: 9 Latent Episodes Behind the Bund (Rockbund, 2021).

He has published, among others, Shanghai: Notes on City Life (Shanghai Century Publishing Group, 2003), Bizarre Stories (Thinkingdom, 2013), Mini Stories (Chongqing University Press, 2016), Petite Mort (CITIC, 2017) and Shanghai Capsule (Imaginist, 2022).

His translations include Paul Auster’s The Invention of Solitude (Zhejiang Culture and Art Publishing House, 2009 & Imaginist, 2019), M&C Saatchi’s Brutal Simplicity of Thought (Chu Chen Books, 2013), Paul Auster’s Winter Journal (Shanghai 99, 2016 & Imaginist, 2019), Abbas Kiarostami’s Lessons with Kiarostami (Elegance Publishing, 2017) and Woody Allen’s Apropos of Nothing (Thinkingdom, 2023).

His writings on urban life, literature, film and contemporary art have appeared in, among others, Fiction World, LEAP, Goethe-Institut's e-magazine and Artforum.