Exhibition

MA Curatorial Practice is pleased to present "Narratives, Stories, Algorithms: Rethinking Independence in Digital Times," a new exhibition curated by Xiao Zong on view on the 5th floor of the Pfizer Building, 630 Flushing Avenue, Brooklyn.

Tech giants are now eager to rush people into the era of the metaverse, in which, allegedly, even experiences can be designed and manufactured. It is important to pause and ask ourselves: Have we indeed lost the ability to tell stories? Can we still comprehend those who hold beliefs opposite to our own?

"Narratives, Stories, Algorithms" interrogates ways in which we receive information, form opinions and draw conclusions in the digital era, when fragmented information contributes to fabricated truths and malleable narratives that further polarize and mislead people. Artists in this exhibition reveal the constructed nature of these narratives, as well as unfold small stories that closely relate to personal histories, memories and emotions.

Lau Wai addresses the stereotypes of Chinese people constructed by American popular culture, while Anlan Huang questions the reality we receive from reading the constant flood of “news,” blurring the line between reality and fiction. Carlos Franco’s video installation further reveals how technology facilitates the spread of fabricated stories and contributes to an ever more divided society. Bundith Phunsombatlert and Chen Dandizi, on the other hand, confront the grand narratives preferred by nationalist discourses and Eurocentric colonial perspectives, proposing the possibility of public criticality kindled by the personal and subjective stories of people everywhere around us.