SHENYANG, July 10, 2024 – The digital art exhibition “Where the Wind is Touching, the Grass Bends” has concluded at Tinglan Art Museum, highlighting an evolving approach to digital innovation and cultural preservation. This collaborative presentation, organized by Tinglan Art Museum and A0 Lab, featured the works of artists Jiayi Lin and Raine Li, who are both known for integrating cultural elements into digital art.
Exhibition Concept
The exhibition “Where the Wind is Touching, the Grass Bends” transports visitors to an imagined vision of 2078, where aspects of Yi ethnic culture are explored through digital innovation. Positioned as an immersive presentation, the exhibition combines traditional and futuristic themes, offering a reinterpretation of cultural heritage from China’s southwestern minorities. The choice of the exhibition’s title symbolizes the adaptive nature of cultural identity—just as the grass bends in response to the wind, so does cultural heritage evolve with the currents of modern technology.
Through digital multimedia installations, the artists blend elements of Yi cultural heritage into a contemporary narrative fabric. Like a detailed digital tapestry, the exhibition offers visitors a perspective on ethnic authenticity in a digital context. Guests can experience cultural elements through perspectives such as a silent pebble witnessing centuries of change, a gentle breeze carrying whispers of ancient wisdom, or a reed bridging past and future. This theme of cultural fluidity resonates throughout the exhibition, as each installation encourages viewers to think about how technology can serve not only as a tool but as a canvas for representing and reimagining traditional practices.
This experience encourages visitors to explore the themes of tradition and digital integration by navigating a future-scape where Yi narratives intertwine with spatial storytelling. As visitors move through the exhibition, they are invited to reflect on the potential evolution of ethnic identity in today’s fast-paced digital world.
Photo Courtesy: Tinglan Art Museum
Artistic Vision
The exhibition showcases the distinctive approaches of both artists. Jiayi Lin, recognized for his recent presentation at the 2024 Milan Design Week, combines digital technology with artistic expression to explore cultural evolution. Raine Li’s work focuses on reinterpreting traditional culture through digital art, creating a dialogue between heritage and contemporary forms. His works often include interactive features that allow viewers to engage with the art in unique ways, such as gesture-based controls that reveal hidden layers of the digital tapestry. This interactivity serves as a metaphor for uncovering layers of cultural meaning in a world increasingly dominated by screens and technology.
A noted art critic remarked, “This exhibition illustrates how contemporary digital technologies can create a thoughtful narrative about the future of cultural heritage.” The artists’ approach offers a perspective on the possibilities for maintaining traditional values within digital spaces.
Exhibition Impact
The exhibition has drawn audiences including art enthusiasts, cultural researchers, and digital technology specialists, and it contributes to the conversation around digital art in cultural preservation and innovation. Its approach serves as an example for future exhibitions that might explore traditional culture through digital technology.
For more information about the exhibition and future programs, please visit Tinglan Art Gallery’s official website: tinglan.qihong024.com.
Published by: Holy Minoza
