Focus on the ordinary

"I love to combine documentary and drama in my works," Cao says.

Whose Utopia documented life at a typical factory in China at a time when the country rose as the world's factory. Cao also wanted to create an art fantasy with the film.

Ten years later, Cao set her eyes on factories again. This time, she noticed the rapid technological development in China and shot her fictional film Asia One on a futuristic love story in an automated warehouse Asia No 1 built by giant online retailer JD. It was then known as the biggest warehouse in Asia with an AI system.

Paired with the film is a documentary 11.11 also produced by Cao, depicting the busy logistics chain and delivery network during the annual Double 11 shopping festival.

"I'm keen on social shifts. I always capture the changes before they happen and create works on it," Cao says.

From 2007 to 2012, Cao dived into the virtual world and created a virtual city online, resulting in her RMB City series, a pioneering work of internet art. She incorporated virtual reality and augmented reality into many of her works from 2016, such as the art car for BMW and her sci-fi film Nova.