Artist shows agriculture droning forward

Showcasing the landscape of smart agriculture in China, the artist has also created an exhibition space on the first floor dedicated to agricultural development. The historical documents, posters, books, and archival materials presented, spanning from the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 to the 1980s, highlight the pivotal role of agriculture in national progress.

"I hope the audience sees that today's smart farming did not suddenly emerge, but is the inevitable result of China's development in agricultural technology," she says, adding that it also allows the exhibition to form a "past-present-future" closed loop.

As one of China's most prominent contemporary artists, Cao's projects have always centered on the human condition amid technological transformation throughout her more than two-decade-long career.

Born in Guangzhou, a prosperous port city and manufacturing hub that has significantly fueled China's economic growth since the reform and opening-up in 1978, Cao has always maintained a keen interest in emerging trends and technologies. The abundant factories in Guangzhou and its surrounding cities solidified the country's reputation as the "world's factory" in the 2000s. As a result, factories and workers frequently became central themes in her early works.

From 2005 to 2006, Cao spent six months working at a light bulb factory in Foshan, a city about 40 kilometers from her hometown. During this time, she created her iconic film, Whose Utopia, which focuses on the lives of workers on the factory's assembly line.

In 2007, long before virtual reality, the metaverse, and digital platforms became mainstream some 20 years later, Cao began experimenting with the virtual world through her video project, Second Life. This forward-thinking endeavor highlighted the possibilities of virtual spaces, even as most people were still unfamiliar with the concept of VR. Her creativity culminated in the RMB City series, where she built an online virtual metropolis.