In an age where the omnipresence of technology shapes every facet of our lives, the undeniable impact of its relentless evolution serves as a poignant testament to our contemporary existence. My journey into this digital era began in 2013, upon my arrival in the United States, particularly in the vibrant Bay Area. It was here that I bore witness to the breathtaking velocity of technological expansion, a phenomenon that stood in stark contrast to my upbringing in a homeland where technology's presence was less conspicuous, especially to my artist's eye.

 

However, my immigration experience thrust me into the throes of technology's omnipotence, a revelation that resonated most profoundly in the realm of interpersonal relationships. As I navigated the unfamiliar terrain of a new culture and people, the profound and unsettling influence of technology became palpable. Alone and seeking to forge connections with new acquaintances, I grappled with the transformation of human interaction. It was an exploration that led me to ponder how technology can render human relationships and personas artfully artificial and profoundly challenging.

 

The rampant use of technology in human relationships has wrought an unsettling transformation, distancing us from our innate humanity, rendering us aliens in our own skin. In the virtual sphere, our digital selves transcend reality, concealed behind layers of deceit and masks that obscure our true essence.

 

My quest for understanding compelled me to scrutinize the evolving relationship between humanity and technology, with a particular focus on the role of social media as a mask concealing our authentic selves. I embarked on a comparative study of relationships in a pre-social media era, contrasting them with contemporary connections characterized by the exchange of text and voice messages. The deeper I delved, the more disheartening it became to witness relationships metamorphose into robotic exchanges, veiled behind the cold screen.

 

To visualize this synthetic new world, I turned my attention to the lives of other creatures, whose innate behaviors stem from their unadulterated selves. Unlike us, animals require no masks; they act in alignment with their primal needs—hunting, eating, sleeping, and surviving. In stark contrast, humanity, driven by desires and needs, often adorns masks, sometimes cloaking their actions under the guise of animalistic norms. As the world marches forward, it is humans who seem to behave strangely, while the animal kingdom remains steadfast. In this evolutionary process, we grow increasingly alienated from our genuine selves.

 

As an artist, I embarked on a creative odyssey, giving birth to a collection titled "Alienation." This artistic endeavor seamlessly melds the human-crafted art of origami with soulless portraits of the creator. Within the grayscale portraits, the void of the soul is poignantly captured, juxtaposed with the vivid hues adorning the attachments—a metaphorical quest to rekindle our lost essence. Each origami piece assumes the guise of animal masks or fragments of their anatomies, serving as a reminder of their pure and uncomplicated existence. Each of these animals carries distinct symbolic meanings across various cultures and nationalities. The union of these soulless portraits with animal masks signifies our departure from our inherent selves. Throughout the entire collection, a solitary realistic bird acts as a symbol, a reminder that other creatures observe our enigmatic transformation.