The exhibition “NEW VOID” draws on the theme of “vanitas,” a symbolic representation of death found in 17th- and 18th-century still-life paintings from the Netherlands and Flanders. In a contemporary age where every event is documented through the quiet surveillance of social media and the fragmented generation of AI, the traditional concept of death has evolved.

Vanitas has long been a significant motif in Western art, with artists such as Paul Cézanne and Marcel Duchamp incorporating it into their work. Duchamp, in particular, left the inscription “Besides, it’s always the others who die” on his gravestone.

In our reality, death remains a somewhat abstract concept, not fully understood in its essence. Even in the digital realm, where data is immortalised on the blockchain and in digital archives, there is no universal understanding of death.

Our digital presence persists, symbolising the living’s struggle with mortality. In our time, we ourselves become the vanitas motif, represented by digital data in virtual space. While AI does not live life as we do, it reflects back to us our own understanding — or lack of understanding — of death.