Artist portrays a changing vista

"She turned her inspiration toward the unsung heroes among those overlooked, little characters," Tan says.

Following her relocation to Beijing, Cao's creative background radiated from the Pearl River Delta, becoming more complex and diverse in response to the evolving times.

HX (2015-2024), known as Hongxia, is an art embodied with locality and connected between the past and the future. Combining virtual reality, video, installations and performance art, this project explores the possibilities of future societies, reflecting the profound impact of technological advancements on human life and social structures.

"Hongxia is a synthesis of all of Cao's previous creations," says Yang, another curator.

"It integrates her explorations of identity and the body, her observations of urban spaces, her focus on labor and factories, and her fascination with technology and media, all of which made up the grand project of Hongxia."

While Cao experimented with virtual reality and gaming technologies, she has recently pivoted back to a traditional subject and explored the theme of modern technological advancement, culminating in her ongoing project Dash (Jifei).

The unfinished project makes its debut at the Shanghai exhibition, presenting a novel farming scene in which drones hover in the sky and robots swarm on the ground.