My Virtual Friends

2024

My Virtual Friend 001, 2024
Ink on canvas, wooden frame
90 cm x 77cm

"My Virtual Friends" is a robotic painting series that delves into the essence of contemporary identity as seen through the lens of social media. This collection is an artistic investigation into the ways in which we curate our virtual personas and connect with others in the digital age. Utilizing AI to reinterpret images of people I follow on Instagram, these portraits are more than mere visual representations—they are the amalgamation of the virtual presence and perceived identities shaped by the tags they choose to describe their lives and experiences (The texts on their faces are the tags they posted on instagram).

Historically, portraiture has been a means of capturing the soul, a visual representation of a person's essence captured by the artist's hand. In this series, however, I explore the evolution of this concept in a world where our souls are increasingly displayed and interpreted through the digital spaces we occupy. The ambiguous facial expressions of the characters, obscured by a web of geometric patterns and text, represent the complex interplay between our true selves and the selves we project online. The tags overlaid upon their visages are not merely descriptors but are as integral to their identity in the virtual world as their features are in the physical one.

Painting in progress

Each piece in "My Virtual Friends" is a narrative, a story told through the digital footprints left by the subjects. The robotic arms, guided by AI, do not just paint a face; they weave a tapestry of social interactions, interests, beliefs, and desires, all of which are hinted at through the hashtags that float across the canvas like digital whispers.

This project is a commentary on the nature of friendship and identity in the modern world. It is an exploration of how we understand and relate to others when we can't see past the screen. Through the literal and metaphorical filters, we come to know our friends as a collection of likes, comments, and shared moments, all bound together by the common thread of hashtags.

"My Virtual Friends" is a mirror reflecting our current reality, where the soul is not just something to be painted but to be pieced together from the fragments we share online. It invites viewers to question their perceptions of connection and individuality, challenging the dichotomy between the authenticity of the traditional portrait and the curated representations of self that we navigate daily.

My Virtual Friend 005, 2024
Ink on canvas
120 cm x 90cm

Shi Liu

My Virtual Friends LOVe letter frame of Consciousness The modern tower of babel Fluffy JestVicious dolls No Stop About Instagram

the modern tower of babel

My Virtual Friends
LOVe letter
frame of Consciousness
The modern tower of babel
Fluffy Jest
Vicious dolls
No Stop

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