Hyundai
Hyundai Blue Prize Art + Tech 2023: The Animal Farm Simulator
Hyundai Blue Prize Art + Tech 2023: The Animal Farm Simulator
Hyundai
About the Exhibition
Selected for Hyundai Blue Prize Art + Tech 2023, Li Zheng & Chen Jianghong’s The Animal Farm Simulator responded to the theme "Decentralized Reworlding.”
In an age marked by evolving understandings of the individual versus collectivism, and with science and technology capable of creating systemic change, there lies an opportunity for introspection and innovation. “Decentralized Reworlding” aims to seize this moment, encouraging curators to contemplate and challenge the socio-economic and ecological systems that define our modern world through the lenses of art, technology, and the humanities. The objective is to create solutions that not only account for the well-being of human-life, but all life forms on our planet.
The Animal Farm Simulator, curated by Li Zheng & Chen Jianghong, presented an optimization and improvement of “Anthropocentrism,” introducing a new ecological vision centered on the principles of co-creation and collaboration. In this epoch of "Animism," in which everything in nature is believed to possess a soul, farms play a pivotal role.
Consisting of 11 domestic and international projects from participating artists, the simulator served as an experimental landscape of the future, where the cohabitation of humans and animals operates like an interconnected network system. With a focus on genetic exploration and media communication, the exhibition reevaluated the potential for biodiversity in the context of technological advancements.
Participating Artists
alterR
atelier mobile
CRUDE_CASTIN (Liu Dian & Xu Jianing)
Elio Caccavale
Extrapolation Factory
Li Shan
Liu Di
Nonhuman Nonsense Studio
Paul Gong
Paula Ulargui Escalona
Xu Chaofan & Ren Qingqi
About the Curators
Li Zheng graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) with a Master’s Degree in Design Criticism and Curatorial Studies, a visiting scholar at ENSAD in Paris and an independent curator. She is a practitioner of innovation education for children, a fashion designer, and a member of Beijing Youth Art Development Promotion Association.
Chen Jianghong graduated from Northumbria University with a Master’s degree in Design Management. She is a creative planner, a design researcher. Her research interests include urban revitalization, experience design, ecologically sustainable design, and design for social innovation.
About the Program
Hyundai Blue Prize Art + Tech
Initiated in 2017 by Hyundai Motor, Hyundai Blue Prize has supported emerging curators through Hyundai Blue Prize Art + Tech in China and Hyundai Blue Prize Design in Korea. Since its launch, Hyundai Blue Prize Art + Tech has recognized and nurtured emerging curators in China, providing a platform to engage with the international art scene and develop innovative curatorial perspectives. The program has also served as a valuable training ground for curators across diverse fields. In 2025, the initiative evolved into Hyundai Blue Prize+, expanding its scope to transcend boundaries, cultivate interdisciplinary research, and foster transcultural conversations.
