Exhibition Poster © Oil Tank Culture Park T2

The solo exhibition of artist Jinah Roh, titled 《Algorithm of Evolutionary Time》, which questions the future of humanity, will be held from October 11 (Friday) to November 4 (Monday) at the Oil Tank Culture Park T2 in Mapo-gu. As part of the 2024 Tank Art Festival, the exhibition delves into various issues regarding machines from a macroscopic perspective of Earth's time.

Supported by the Arts Council Korea and hosted in cooperation with the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Oil Tank Culture Park, and the Kyung Hee University Natural History Museum, the exhibition features four major works: the large-scale new piece Evolutionary Chimera-GAIA (2024), The Triumph of General Ludd, (㏒ n) || (2ⁿ) : From the Beach to the Open Sea, and Human-Machine Chimera.

The work Evolutionary Chimera-GAIA follows in the lineage of Roh's previous piece An Evolving GAIA (2017). In this piece, GAIA emerges as the mother of the Earth, symbolizing the planet as a self-regulating and interacting organism. As an evolutionary chimera that has learned the time and history of the Earth, GAIA moves beyond fear of AI technologies, instead seeking a new language for the co-evolution of humans and machines as technology grows ever more monumental.


Jinah Roh, The Triumph of General Ludd,, 2024 ©Jinah Roh

Another new work, The Triumph of General Ludd, draws on the historical Luddite movement, which opposed technological innovation out of fear that advanced technology would replace jobs. The piece features 16 sculptural heads that each vocalize a chorus celebrating "The Triumph of General Ludd." Additionally, (㏒ n) || (2ⁿ) : From the Beach to the Open Sea metaphorically represents humanity’s uncertain future as a beach bordering an expansive sea, reflecting on the attitude humans must adopt in the face of this vast unknown.

Jinah Roh has consistently reflected on the relationship between humans and machines (or non-humans) in the context of technological advancements like robotics and AI, raising questions about how humans can frame their inquiries in a rapidly changing world. As the artist states, “Although rapid technological advancement, especially AI, seems capable of engulfing everything, humanity itself is merely a part of the countless cycles of birth and extinction throughout Earth’s long history.” The exhibition invites audiences to collectively ponder the next evolutionary time that technology may guide us towards, amidst the overwhelming waves of change.

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