Chen Xi’s work Lost depicts a scene both contemporary and timeless: people, one after another, join a long queue, each maintaining a cautious distance of about one meter. Their faces are covered with masks; their bodies bundled against the cold, yet still shivering and constantly shifting their stance, stomping feet to stay warm. Most are idly scrolling through their phones, some stare blankly at the sky, others murmur fragmented conversations as the line slowly inches forward… the queue extends into the distance, endlessly. A pale, gloomy mist pervades the air. A bitter wind cuts through the thick winter coats. This line is hauntingly familiar—when we look back on certain periods in history, we often see similar scenes: long lines for a bowl of thin porridge, a blanket, a pair of slippers… or now, waiting to open one’s mouth for a swab, to have one’s temperature taken… to be rescued. Such scenes repeat through the centuries. Though we’ve long since left our caves, becoming more intelligent and powerful—capable now even of leaving this planet—we seem genetically imprinted with a cyclical affliction. Each century brings new outbreaks, each one humbling and devastating. In 2020, the “super virus” struck again, halting humanity’s forward march. We were locked down for a whole year—our cities emptied, bars and restaurants shuttered, malls and cinemas abandoned, while hospitals overflowed in fear and chaos. These recurring catastrophes may be our destiny. But they also awaken in us a renewed will to resist—to survive better.

Learn more about Chen Xi and her work here.

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The Future of Humanity Experience explores how technology is reshaping the human experience by blending digital and physical artworks from global artists into a tangible vision of the future. The experience highlights the potential for human enhancement, where the organic and synthetic not only complement one another but sometimes merge, illustrating how humanity can transcend its current boundaries.

Through diverse artistic perspectives, the show critically examines the risks, ethical dilemmas, and challenges posed by technological progress. This exploration is framed through three distinct lenses – Animasapiens, Transhumans, and Starborns – and offers an invitation to delve even deeper. Learn more here.