More Realistic Than Documentaries, AI-Created 'Virtual World'

Ian Cheng, First Solo Exhibition in Asia 'Ian Cheng: Building Worlds'
On View at Samsung Museum of Art Leeum Until July 3

Ian Cheng (38), a Chinese-American artist who utilizes art and artificial intelligence (AI) game engines, presents his multilayered worldview of a challenging future world in his first solo exhibition in five years, "World Building." Photo by Samsung Museum of Art Leeum

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] “I believe becoming an adult starts with leaving home. However, some people never truly become adults and remain children, unable to leave home physically or emotionally, and eventually die that way. I wanted to explore this process in depth in ‘Life after BOB.’”

Ian Cheng (38), a Chinese-American artist who utilizes art and artificial intelligence (AI) game engines, presents his worldview on a challenging future in a multi-layered manner in his exhibition “Ian Cheng: Building Worlds,” his first Asian solo show in five years. The exhibition, which opened on the 2nd at the Samsung Museum of Art Leeum in Hannam-dong, Seoul, attracted significant attention from both inside and outside the art world even before its opening.

Based on philosophical reflection, Ian Cheng has been exploring the essence of human consciousness. Despite having released only five works over six years since his debut, he is known for his thoughtful approach. “We are greatly influenced by ecosystems, but ecosystems continue to function even without us. Does organic change necessarily only continue in reality?” His questions are realized through constantly evolving simulation programs that move autonomously and create new stories every moment.

Ian Cheng's Exile Part 2 Branches Toward Perfection. Photo by Leeum

The trilogy ‘Emissaries,’ created between 2015 and 2017, starts from questions about how the first humans moved and lived and what triggered their initial thoughts, then moves to AI researching the restoration of extinct humans, and finally vividly depicts a distant future AI aspiring to become a living organism. A distinctive feature is that the ending changes every time, even if the audience watches all the videos to the end.

AI, which operates like a human neural network, functions organically by gathering and reorganizing information to develop the characters within the work. Characters with their own behavioral patterns possess unique personalities, influence each other, and create their own lives. The artist only designed the system, and the audience merely observes, while the work continuously builds a self-sustaining ecosystem that ends with different conclusions every moment. Cheng laughed, saying, “No one has ever watched this work to the very end.”

Ian Cheng 'Life after BOB'. Photo by Leeum

The 48-minute video ‘Life after BOB’ multilayeredly depicts the story and future vision of Dr. Wong, who developed a neural implant AI for a better human life, and his 10-year-old daughter Chalice, who is implanted with it. He explained, “When I conceived this work, my wife was pregnant with our first child. I was very afraid of becoming a father, and I wondered what the worst thing I could do as a dad might be. I concluded that mixing the roles of parent and work would be the worst, and based on this, I created the character of Dr. Wong.”

Born to a designer couple who immigrated from Hong Kong to the U.S., he majored in cognitive science and art at UC Berkeley and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in visual arts from Columbia University in New York. Influenced by his mother, a film enthusiast who watched six movies a day, he developed a deep interest in video. He introduced, “The narrative of films is already fixed, and the viewer cannot change it, which I found regrettable. I was inspired by games where players control the lives of characters, especially ‘The Sims.’”

Ian Cheng 'Life after BOB'. Photo by Leeum

The free simulation created by AI within the world set by the artist shows virtual reality more realistically than any documentary and reveals creativity close to the essence of natural ecosystems without reservation. Having created characters who struggle for a better life, what does he think about a good life? “It is important not to lose the child within your heart. An open attitude toward new things, not fearing chaos, and thinking of yourself as strong enough not to feel threatened?aren’t these the attitudes needed for a good life?”

The exhibition runs until July 3 at the Samsung Museum of Art Leeum.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.