Allegorithm
Rundong Zhao 赵润东
Abstract
Allegorithm is a hybrid of algorithm and allegory, a series of images sampled from people and objects that exist in reality and recreated in the computer through techniques such as 3D scanning and inverse modeling, flesh and blood. Virtual cutouts of clothing, hyperrealistic objects and humans are reconstructed and rendered in the computer. The mixed scenes of virtual and reality are reproduced by the computer in an alchemical way, rendered as aesthetic and surreal visions of sameness. The high-definition rendering of anthropomorphic computer modeling images makes it impossible for the viewer to distinguish the reliability of the presence of human objects. Classical religious painting-like compositions are constructed under the blurred allegory.
From this series, CurryWurstWorld is a two-channel video work. Channel One shows MOMO sitting at one end of a table, recounting his experiences of kidnapping, exile and searching for his mother. MOMO was born in Egypt and has lived in exile in countries in the Middle East and Europe, and was kidnapped by an extremist religious organization for buying bread during a religious conflict in Lebanon. He is a chef who has worked in restaurants in Africa and France and is now settled in Leipzig, Germany. Despite identity dilemmas and poverty that plague him, he enjoys sharing food and kindness with others. Our conversation was characterized by the complexity of his character traits contrasted with his inner loneliness and lack of security. With his consent, I used 3D scanning and CG techniques to reconstruct his image in the computer, and recorded MOMO's own story through facial capture and audio recording. This formed part of the work CurryWurstWorld, with voiceovers by trngs, an American musician based in Berlin.
Another channel showed a man with a bleeding head sitting at a table in the pouring rain, wolfing down currywurst. The scene is based on a sight I encountered on the street in the early hours of the morning in Berlin, and the Curry66 store in the background is modeled after the Curry36 store in Berlin's Bergmannkiez area, conveying a real-world reflection. The Fritz-kola on the table is replaced by a Faith-kola, a subtle shift that reveals the evolution and re-construction of trust. The soundtrack was produced by Berlin-based American musician bod [baojiaxiang].MOMO sits at opposite ends of a table from this strange man, creating a strong dialogic relationship.
Biography
Born in 1998, graduated from the Department of Intermedia Art of China Academy of Art, and resided in PILOTENKUECHE, Leipzig, Germany in 2022. He has been awarded the Gold Medal of Lin Fengmian by the China Academy of Art, the Kunpeng Prize of the Pingyao International Photography Festival, the 10th Annual Ranking of Chinese Photographers, and a nomination for the Tomorrow's Vision Prize. His works have been exhibited at CAFA ART MUSUM LangFang, Shanghai West Coast Art Center, The Wrong Biennial, Lichtspieple des Westens Video Art Festival, Shanghai K11, Zhejiang Art Museum, etc. He is currently living and working in Hangzhou and Shanghai.
As a member of the Internet generation, Zhao's works are closely connected to contemporary society and youth culture. His creations focus on the state of existence of the new generation of young people spawned by the digital age, exploring important issues such as cultural identity, self-knowledge and state of existence in the context of digitization and globalization, as well as cultural adaptation and resistance under neo-colonialism through the use of 3D gaming technology and AI technology. His works involve multiple media such as video, installation, painting, etc. He constantly discusses the complex relationship between human beings and technology, nature and artificiality, and presents different cultural perspectives and ecological consciousness through artistic means.