aaajiao

NTFs_aaajiao, 2020-21, Encrypted Zip file @aaajiao

Islands Project (IP): It’s my pleasure to have you here for a conversation. Please introduce yourself.

aaajiao (AJ): My name is aaajiao. I’m a new media artist, activist and programmer. I’m originally from Xi’an, a city in the western part of China, but I was based in Shanghai for a long time as an artist, and I eventually started to regularly go back and forth between Shanghai and Berlin. Since 2019, I’ve more or less settled in Berlin.

IP: What was your reason for choosing Berlin when you thought about finding a new base outside China?

AJ: London, Paris and even New York came into consideration. But I found that the overall cost was lower in Berlin to set up a new life, including the rent and such.

IP: Were there any difficulties you encountered while you were trying to start a new life in Berlin?

 AJ: Of course. For example, just to find an apartment to live in was a big problem for me. As an artist, I didn’t have a fixed monthly salary and couldn’t provide proof of stable income. Actually many artists from China came to ask me for advice, when considering moving to Berlin. I’m happy to help, but only if they are ready to face the anticipated difficulties. Struggle is inevitable, especially in the first few years after moving. And the language can be a problem. I took the courses but I got stressed before the German proficiency test.

IP: Have you ever considered going back to China, or establishing a base in both countries?

AJ: No, I will stay here for sure. A lot of things have happened since I moved to Berlin, including the COVID-19 pandemic. It made me think a lot, when I witnessed how the Chinese government handled the whole situation there. I will continue to live in Berlin despite the difficulties. But yes, it doesn’t change the fact that I’m an immigrant here. I hope to find a way to empower myself.

IP: You mainly work with digital media. Your NTF work “NTFs_aaajiao” (2020-21) is in the collection of Pompidou Centre in Paris, and your recent work “Deep Simulator” (2020) was made in the form of a video game. Artists engaging with new media seem to be able to work from anywhere, as a computer is the main tool for creation. But is it still important for you to find the right place as a base?

AJ: Yes, because not all of my works exist in a digital form. I also create physical works, like works on canvas, installations and so on. To create the work “Deep Simulator”, I worked with 

collaborators who are based in China. The internet made it possible to work remotely and, if I only needed to work on the computer, I could work from home too. But I own a studio, where I handle works containing screens and such. I store canvas works there too. Sometimes I meet curators in the studio. It’s a meeting place at the same time. 

IP: What are the connections between digital and physical works then?

AJ: The physical works are also based on my observation or thoughts on what is happening on the internet and with computer technology. “Windows Gravestone” (2016) is an installation work, shown in the group exhibition “Chine, une nouvelle génération d’artistes” at the Pompidou Centre in 2024. Through the work, you can see the old design of a Windows’ interface placed on vertical statues. It’s a visual analogy to the ancient steles, which my hometown Xi’an is famous for. New technology becomes obsolete in the course of time, so I wanted to put the old design in a graveyard.

IP: In a sense, in your physical works, the artistic message seems to be clearer, whereas your digital work opens up more space for you to explore more abstract, philosophical themes. For example, if we may go back to the work “Deep Simulator”, you defined it as a metagame, and you further explained in a past interview: “a metagame is more about the need to constantly pass through the dimensional wall while playing, constantly examining where the player is”.

AJ: Yes, you may say “Deep Simulator” was more about exploration in computing, and also my reaction to a meme related to Non-Player Character, or NPC. However, my digital works are not only about exploring the possibility of the media itself. I observe what people are sharing on the internet, and also make a collection of short videos. It’s deeply related to what’s happening in the world right now.

IP: Did that inspire you to make the video work “Minority Algorithm, Internet Void” (2023-24)?

AJ: Yes. Nowadays, violent video footage from the frontline of war circulates through the internet instantly, and people watch and share it. People also take videos in everyday life and they become memes. There is also video footage from CCTV and all sorts of recorded “events” on the internet get processed by AI and recirculated to internet users through algorithms.

IP: So apparently the internet and digital technology inspired you through your long career, but you also bear witness to crucial social phenomena which raise concerns for the future of human beings. The work also contains references to violence: wars, weapons, surveillance, police forces, which are powered by digital technologies.

AJ: Absolutely. That’s why I hope to be able to remain in a democratic country.

For more information on aaajiao, please visit -

Instagram @aaajiao

Website eventstructure.com/aaajiao

The interview was conducted in 2025.