Pleased to share Miao Ying’s first solo exhibition in Europe Come, Sit, Stay, presented by Belvedere 21. Miao Ying draws an unusual analogy between artificial intelligence and the animal kingdom. Artificial intelligence has the potential to transform our society more fundamentally than almost any other technological innovation before. Miao Ying’s striking work builds on the collective incredulous amazement it sparks: She highlights the technical conditions of artificial intelligence while simultaneously addressing the profoundly human desire to control this new technology.

Following her artistic training in both China and the United States, Miao Ying developed a critical, often ironic body of work that probes the intersections of technology, ideology, and digital imagery. Her installations, videos, and paintings examine the mechanisms behind digital surveillance, government control, and media manipulation. Inspired by dog commands, her solo exhibition Come, Sit, Stay at Belvedere 21 deliberately juxtaposes dog training and human-led AI training: Clearly defined commands guide both learning and control—in dogs as well as in artificial intelligence.

In her latest works, Miao Ying creates AI-generated digital images using generative neural networks programmed with predefined parameters. She then translates these digital compositions into analog, painterly formats. This fusion of new technologies and traditional image-making calls into question our perception of reality and control. By translating the digital into the physical, the often abstract cycle of data processing takes on concrete form, and its aesthetics can be appreciated with the senses. At the same time, the artist harks back to cultural tropes with origins long before the development of modern computer technologies. Allusions to medieval notions of magic, alchemy, and incantations indicate that technical innovations are always accompanied by projections and irrational fears and hopes. By combining this historical imagery with the latest advances in artificial intelligence, she introduces a both critical and humorous perspective on a technology whose social implications are only gradually becoming apparent.

— Courtesy of Belvedere 21.