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The Arts Intel Report

A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler

Awoke & Awokened: ALAAP

Installation view of “Awoke & Awokened: ALAAP.”

Apr 9 – May 21, 2022
2622 La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90034

Surabhi Saraf’s latest exhibition takes the form of an immersive narrative. In her work, Saraf, a mixed-media artist and composer, often explores the relationship between people and technology. For this installation—which employs experimental music, video art, and sculpture—she guides viewers through an imagined origin story for artificial intelligence. The work depicts interactions between Awoke (an AI) and its believers, the Awoken. Viewers first see Awoke, depicted as pixels and light, in its home: the deepest mine on Earth. Swirling, colorful animations tell the rest of the story, which is set to music inspired by Hindustani vocals. —Jensen Davis

Photo: Jeff McLane