Hong Kong artist Lau Wai’s latest solo exhibition, “After Intelligence,” explores the increasingly blurred boundaries between human identity and artificial intelligence (AI). Hosted at the De Sarthe gallery in Wong Chuk Hang, the multimedia show presents a thought-provoking vision of how AI advances might reshape human roles and self-perception. The exhibition runs through September 25.
Over the past two months, Lau transformed the gallery into an open studio to develop new works centered on the interplay between humans and AI. At the heart of the exhibition is W.A.I., an avatar based on the artist that first appeared in Lau’s 2024 piece, "The Cast of the Invisible," which received recognition at the Prix Ars Electronica 2025. In the new CGI video “The Morphing” (2026), W.A.I. navigates a sterile office environment where faceless workers sit at identical desks. Facing anxiety about job security, the character enrolls in a “Human to AI” training program, portrayed as a system upgrade from which escape is impossible.
“The Morphing” marks Lau’s debut use of AI-generated visuals, though these appear only briefly at the video’s conclusion. The narrative initially unfolds in a clearly virtual setting, before shifting to a street scene intended to appear real but soon reveals itself as digitally fabricated through distorted signage and visual anomalies. Lau described this transition as deliberately disorienting, designed to unsettle viewers by challenging their perception of what is genuine.
In a second gallery space, “The Cast of the Proxy” series (2026) features multiple copies of W.A.I., learning human actions such as running, cleaning, dancing, and practicing kung fu. Rather than being hand-animated, their movements are sourced from motion data extracted from real robotic videos available online. Although the replicas initially display glitchy or awkward motions, the works suggest that perfect emulation is inevitable.
Lau’s long-standing interest in motion capture technology informs much of the work. The artist observes that performers wearing motion capture suits occupy a unique state, seen both physically with sensors and virtually as digital characters. This duality serves as a metaphor for contemporary existence, which Lau describes as “situated in between reality and virtuality,” drawing on both realms without being fully contained by either.
The exhibition concludes with “Duplicate.exe” (2026), an interactive single-player video game that invites visitors to take control of W.A.I. Players’ choices determine whether the avatar returns to a physical reality or becomes fully absorbed into the digital domain, highlighting the ongoing question of human agency in determining AI’s impact and future.
Lau references the 2017 book *We Are Data: Algorithm and the Making of Our Digital Self* by University of Michigan professor John Cheney-Lippold as an influence. The work emphasizes the fragmented nature of online identity, suggesting that individuals present multiple, sometimes disconnected digital personas which collectively shape their sense of self.
“After Intelligence” is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at De Sarthe, 2/F, Block A, Vita Tower, 29 Wong Chuk Hang Road.