Candice Wu’s first major solo exhibition, Synthesation of Tomorrow, opened in the Arts District last week, transforming an industrial loft into a constellation of digital futures. The artist’s ambitious installation filled the space with an array of screens and projections, each one offering passage into her meticulously crafted worlds. Visitors found themselves immersed in Wu’s distinct artistic vision, wandering between CRT monitors and projection walls that illuminated the darkened space like portals to tomorrow. Her solo debut quickly became the focal point of the local art scene, with waiting lines stretching around the block and social media lighting up with moments of discovery.
Candice Wu, the creative technologist whose work interrogates the relationship between AI and human expression, has cultivated a distinctive artistic language that sets her apart in the digital art landscape. Her innovative approach has earned international recognition, including the prestigious French Design Award and dual Muse Creative Awards in both Short Film and Experimental Video categories. At MIT’s AI Filmmaking Hackathon, her work captured every major honor—Best Film, Best Visual, Best Music, Best Script, and Best AI Application—establishing her as a significant voice in contemporary digital art. Wu’s practice demonstrates how artificial intelligence can amplify human creativity, creating experiences that resonate on both technological and emotional levels. This solo exhibition represents a culmination of her recent explorations, bringing together major works that showcase her unique perspective on our technological future.
The show featured works from 2021 to 2024, yet nothing about it felt retrospective. Each piece seemed alive, responding to the curiosity and awe of those who approached. Stepping into Erasure, for example, felt less like watching a speculative short film and more like slipping into a city with its own heartbeat. Set in a future world where augmented reality conceals an infrastructure pieced together from recycled materials, Erasure invited viewers to pause, watch, and reflect. “The beauty here is in the reveal,” Candice had explained, “when the augmented facades flicker off just for a moment, exposing the raw, imperfect city underneath.” During one early viewing, a visitor lingered, transfixed as the Earth Day celebration in Erasure turned off the augmented reality layer, unveiling the recycled materials that formed the city’s foundation. "It was like watching a memory resurface," they murmured, a sentiment that seemed to echo long after the show had ended.
Candice’s relationship with technology has always been more than utilitarian—it’s a deeply collaborative process. Raised in a culture rooted in collective history, her art merges the nuances of Chinese values with universal questions about the future. “In my family, we were always taught to see ourselves as part of a larger narrative,” she reflected. This perspective was woven into pieces like Classic of Fantasies, which reimagined mythical creatures from the ancient Classic of Mountains and Seas with the help of AI. Blending ancient storytelling with machine learning, each creature stood as a testament to how historical narrative and modern technology can coalesce into something entirely new. “I wanted to show that AI can be an extension of us, that it doesn’t replace the past but helps us see it through a fresh lens,” she said.
One of the standout pieces of the show, D’Sync, epitomized her vision of technology as a catalyst for human interaction. Set in an abandoned subway, this interactive work allowed viewers to manipulate the virtual space through custom controllers inspired by bouldering grips. “We spent months remapping instinctive gestures onto this digital environment,” Candice recalled. Audience members fumbled with the controls at first, but gradually, they began to understand how their movements distorted the virtual walls around them. Watching this dance between curiosity and mastery unfold felt like seeing technology engage with human emotion on a personal level. “It was beautiful to watch,” remarked one attendee, “seeing everyone become part of the art in real time.”
The exhibition’s setup in the loft space was crucial to its impact. Candice had chosen the minimal setting intentionally, allowing each screen to stand as its own “portal.” CRT TVs rested on the floor, projectors hung high, and the arrangement encouraged viewers to get close, to lean in, to sit on the floor and interact. “I wanted the experience to feel intimate, almost like you’re touching these worlds,” Candice had said. This was especially true of DOG: Dream of Galaxy, an AI-crafted short film about a Labrador’s galactic journey inspired by the Soviet Union’s first canine astronaut. Audiences sat cross-legged around the CRT TV, mesmerized by the whimsical visuals. “It’s like the dog is carrying all our dreams with him,” one viewer whispered.
Beyond the technical spectacle, the exhibition held an undeniable tenderness—a vulnerability that resonated deeply. The Ninth Wave, a haunting underwater journey through a submerged city, followed a bio-robot as it explored remnants of human civilization. Spurred by a mysterious signal, the robot navigated algae-covered machinery and ruins reclaimed by the sea. In a way, The Ninth Wave paralleled Candice’s own creative journey—a constant search for meaning in a world increasingly shaped by technology. “There’s a loneliness to it,” she had said quietly, “a story about searching, about wondering if there’s something meaningful left in what we leave behind.” For some, this journey became personal, as they found themselves empathizing with the bio-robot’s solitary exploration.
Throughout the week, the atmosphere inside the space was electric. From quiet reflections to laughter during the artist talk, every moment added to the immersive journey. Candice led a small Q&A session, inviting audiences to ask questions, experiment with the controllers, and join her in a live demonstration of D’Sync. “This isn’t just my work,” she told them. “It’s an invitation to imagine with me.” A warmth lingered as people gathered around her, eagerly discussing their impressions and insights.
As the final visitors left and the space dimmed, Synthesation of Tomorrow left a lasting impression not only as an exhibition of speculative art but as an exploration of technology’s role in shaping our collective future. Candice’s work was neither dystopian nor utopian; it dwelled in a beautifully ambiguous space, mirroring our complex relationship with the digital world. “For me, it’s about seeing technology not as a rupture from the past but as a bridge,” she explained. Her vision underscored that the future doesn’t overwrite the past; instead, it draws from history, memory, and behavior to create something both familiar and novel.
This was more than an exhibition; it was a place of reflection, of invitation, and of wonder—a synthesized view of tomorrow, distilled into the glow of screens, the hum of projection, and the imaginations of all who entered.
To Learn more about Candice’s work and projects, visit her personal website.
