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aaajiao, is the online handle of Xu Wenkai, a Shanghai-based new media artist, avid blogger and free thinker.
Born in 1984, aaajiao grew up in Xi’an, the ancient capital of Qin and Han Dynasty known for the Terracotta Army. The year of 1984, coinciding with George Orwell’s dystopian masterpiece, seems to explain the perfect alignment between the vivid SciTech-driven imagination and the sometimes-poetic sophistication, frequently seen as the main theme of aaajiao’s work. Many of aaajiao’s works tap into the most current trends of thoughts around the Internet sphere, with a focus on the emerging controversies and phenomenon related to data processing, blogsphere/wemedia and filtered information. In his most recent projects, the artist has adopted a more extended scope of practices, borrowing elements from architecture, electronic music, performance arts, product design, even medicine, to portray the young generation harnessing the power of cyber technology and the ever-present social media.
Being one of the most frequently exhibited Chinese new media artists, aaajiao has been featured in both international and domestic scenes. Highlights include: “Global Control And Censorship – ZKM | Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe(2015)”, The 2nd “CAFAM Future” Exhibition: Observer-Creator · The Reality Representation of Chinese Young Art Beijing, CAFA Art Museum (2015); Cosmos – Limited and Limitless, Existence and Co-existence Shanghai, 21st Century Minsheng Art Museum (2014),Thingworld – International Triennial of New Media Art Beijing,The National Art Museum of China (2014),The West Bund Architecture and Contemporary Art Biennale, Shanghai (2013); “One World” Exposition – Chinese Art in the Age of the New Media,Videotage,Hong Kong (2011), TransLife: Media Art China 2011 – International Triennial of New Media Art Beijing,The National Art Museum of China (2011), Transmediale, Berlin (2010), etc. aaajiao is a winner of the Jury Prize from Art Sanya Awards 2014, a nominee of OCAT – Pierre Huber Art Prize, and most recently, a nominee of the “Young Artist of the Year” of 9th “Award of Art China”.
aaajiao是徐文恺的网络化名,aaajiao代表了他媒体艺术家、自媒体、网络活动家等诸多身份。aaajiao于1984年生于西安,就像这个年份——1984年也是奥威尔同名小说的标题——和地点所象征的巧合,他的作品充满了强烈的科技的想象以及文人情怀。不少aaajiao的作品都切中了今天互联网相关的新思维、议题以及现象,其中不少项目都探索了数据处理、自媒体领域以及信息过滤。aaajiao近期的创作中的跨领域协作(建筑、电子音乐、表演、产品设计、医学等)都无疑都聚焦于今天消费网络技术、生活于社交媒体中的青年一代。
aaajiao的作品频繁展出于国内外的诸多展览,其中包括《 「全控制和言论控制」(卡尔斯鲁厄艺术与媒体中心, 德国,2015);「第二届CAFAM未来展:创客创客·中国青年艺术的现实表征」(中央美术学院美术馆,北京,中国,2015);「多重宇宙——有限与无限 存在与共存」(二十一世纪民生美术馆,上海,中国,2014);「齐物等观——国际新媒体艺术三年展」(中国美术馆,北京,中国,2014);「西岸建筑与当代艺术双年展」(上海,北京,2013);「平行世界」(录映太奇,香港,2011);「延展生命:媒体中国2011——国际新媒体艺术三年展」(中国美术馆,中国,2011);「转译媒体节」(柏林,德国,2010) 等。2014年底,他不仅荣获第三届三亚艺术季暨华宇青年评审大奖,亦入围首届OCAT皮埃尔•于贝尔奖并在2015年获得第九届AAC年轻艺术家提名奖。