The panel discussion Hyperreal Bites: Artificial Materiality explored the friction between the natural world and synthetic reality, moderated by curator Richard Bakes and featuring artists Liao Jiaming and Eason Tsang Ka Wai. The session opened with Bakes detailing the 30-year history of Berlinskej Model, a Prague gallery that began as a non-profit “secret place” funded initially by the sale of beer and coffee. Bakes noted a growing “technosceptical” trend in Europe, where artists are returning to natural roots and traditional tools as a reaction to digital saturation—a perspective he brought to the technological landscape of Hong Kong.

Artistic Presentations: Digital Bodies and Urban Residue

In the presentation segment, Liao Jiaming discussed his investigation into digital narratives and the power dynamics of the image, specifically within the context of body perception and gender. In his work Open Yourselves, Ourselves, he used machine learning to process the aesthetics of gay dating apps, generating “distorted bodies” that reflect the masculinity and toxic perfectionism of digital spaces. By transferring these AI-generated images onto his own used T-shirts using acrylic, Liao physically bridges the gap between virtual ideals and lived experience. His Yes and Yes series further explores this tension by printing these virtual bodies onto collectible cards, paralleling the dynamics of fandom and celebrity culture.

Eason Tsang Ka Wai followed with a perspective focused on the physical dimensions of virtual images and urban residue. He shared his fascination with re-purposing CRT monitors as “storage boxes,” exploring how screens function as physical boundaries for musical equipment. In his featured work Tape, Eason scanned 55 meters of shipping tape to record the dust and residue of the logistics process, equating the act of peeling the material to the shutter speed of a camera capturing a documented process. He also reflected on the psychological state of quarantine during COVID-19, using high-resolution video of a fish’s heartbeat to create a metaphor for the fragile boundary between perceived safety and external danger.

Q&A: The Future of Creativity in an Automated Age

The concluding Q&A session addressed the broader implications of technology on art and society. Regarding cultural homogenization, Jiaming emphasized the importance of questioning the necessity of new tools while responding to the “new reality” they create. Eason suggested that diversity can still be found in the unique “recipes” and patterns of industrial materials like tape from different manufacturers. When Bakes questioned the subordination of art to market values, the artists advocated for a “slow” approach; Eason focused on daily life details to resist market trends, and Jiaming argued that the artist’s role is to proactively question the systems that manipulate value. Ultimately, the panel agreed that while AI offers “democratic” potential for creators to access new skills, human agency remains the irreplaceable force that defines “what is art” and maintains the sensitivity to observe stories that technology might overlook.