Hyundai Blue Prize Art + Tech 2022: Balcony for the Brave—Nutrition, Materials, and Future Ecology

Curated by Diane Xing, Hyundai Blue Prize Art + Tech 2022 exhibition Balcony of the Brave — Nutrition, Materials, and Future Ecology responded to the theme “Disruptive Futures.” For the exhibition, Xing engaged with the theme by focusing on hybrid media narratives as well as biological and ecological topics to confront the chaotic reality of today and the uncertainty of the future. The exhibition made a case for the need for technologies that are rooted in our everyday lives, advocating for a reevaluation of the existing dynamics between humans and objects towards more pragmatic action.

Drawing from a memory of her grandmother’s balcony, Xing reimagines the space as a “future balcony”—a concept blending the personal with the ecological, where technology and nature harmoniously intertwine. “The balcony is…bonded to both life and nature, an individual space accompanied by society…a place where technology and nature unite to create,” Xing wrote. This envisioned balcony served as both a metaphor and a prototype for a post-human landscape, where innovation meets everyday life, functioning as a microcosm for ecological and technological experimentation.

The exhibition drew inspiration from Donna J. Haraway’s concepts of “Staying with the Trouble” and “Chthulucene,” ideas that call us to bravely face the challenges of existing and dying on a compromised Earth; to abandon arrogance and passivity and move toward engaging in meaningful dialogues; to foster a more symbiotic existence. Within this context, the exhibition positions today’s artists and designers as the pioneers, or “braves,” who are not afraid of confronting today’s most pressing challenges. They rely on personal research and action to foresee the future crises and challenges of human survival, thinking about the possibility of technology in a holistic and locally applicable way. They also change their inherent ways of thinking and strive to find those possible solutions so as to provide new frameworks for the co-evolution of technology and ecology. Only through these new frameworks can we imagine the harmonious coexistence of “Cyborg and Gaia.”

The exhibition unfolds across four thematic sections—nutrition converters, material makers, garden planters, and stargazers—each offering a unique perspective on ecological and technological solutions for sustainable living. Far from a passive display, the exhibition was an interactive opportunity, encouraging visitors to engage directly with the artworks and participate in public programs. Through these interactions, Xing aimed to inspire collective action towards a shared future, emphasizing the importance of community involvement in addressing ecological and technological challenges.