In Koyaanisqatsi, Seungwoo Kang's exhibition at YK Presents, Seoul, the artist delves into the haunting intersection of technology and the subconscious, highlighting the pervasive encroachment of data-driven surveillance on personal identity.
The title, derived from the Hopi term for "life out of balance," serves as a stark metaphor for how modern algorithms and surveillance mechanisms disrupt the natural harmony of human thought and emotion. In this body of work, Kang crafts a visual narrative that examines the eerie parallels between biological systems, such as ant colonies, and the labyrinthine data grids that map out digital behavior.
Kang's works operate on both literal and metaphysical levels. The structures of ant colonies mirror the ways algorithms organize vast amounts of information, correlating with the deeply private corners of the human psyche now mined for data points. Kang situates the viewer within this panopticon, presenting the data trails we leave behind as a form of involuntary self-portraiture—trapped in the act of surveillance. His reference to Pinterest scrolling and Google image searches becomes a powerful symbol for this passive participation in a system that translates personal interest into commodity.
What is most provocative about Koyaanisqatsi is its invitation for viewers to step into the role of the algorithm itself. By revealing his own digital behavior and subconscious processes, Kang positions his interiority as a dataset to be scrutinized, laying bare the disturbing mechanisms of control underlying our increasingly monitored lives. The exhibition becomes a haunting reflection on how algorithms shape not only our digital footprints but our very understanding of self, reducing identity to a series of predictive behaviors.
