Exhibition reflection Ⅱ: Thoughts on Sustainability

Wang Yuyang: Chaosmosis

In this exhibition, cross-disciplinary installations driven by AI and programming break the boundaries between fields. The interaction between the audience and machines vividly shows the theme: technology, life, and the environment have merged into one and cannot be separated.

We are like fish in a tank—appearing to swim freely, but actually wrapped in an invisible shell of technology. From a sustainability perspective, when technology becomes our “second nature,” have we cut our real connection to the Earth? Is this prosperity based on algorithms a true evolution, or are we just borrowing from our original life force?

Spurs Gallery: The Viewfinder

These two works feature delicate embroidery and cool, subtle, yet colorful paintings. I really like this fine craftsmanship.

However, another video piece left a very deep impression on me. It used five camera angles to record a cozy wooden house collapsing in a storm. I watched the home break apart and a fish tank shatter. The goldfish struggled on the floor and died.

I did not like this work. Although I understand the artist might want to show “chaos” or “the cruelty of destruction,” I cannot agree with a creative method that involves intentional destruction or harming life. Sustainability in art should not just be about the materials used; it should be found in the ethics of creation. If artistic expression is built on real destruction, it goes against the core of sustainability: protecting life and respecting the environment.

Rethinking Sustainability

These experiences have given me a deeper understanding of “sustainability” beyond just art.

In Earth’s vast ecosystem, everything has its own internal cycle. Sustainability should not just be about recycling materials; it should be a conscious resistance against the “entropy of life.”

Whether in art or in life, if we overspend, hurt, or destroy irreplaceable spirits just for an image or a moment of pleasure, this “progress” will eventually lead to desolation. Sustainability is admitting our humility—admitting that we are not creators, but guardians of Earth’s complex system. We should not steal from the future or trample on small lives. Even after seeing the cruelty of the world, we should still choose a constructive and gentle way to coexist with all things.