Review of New Museum : "New Humans: Memories of the Future," Anicka Yi’s “In Love with the World”
By Evan Wu
The recent reopening of the New Museum was a highly anticipated event in New York—not only because the new building, but because of what the institution represents for contemporary art today. The museum has a reputation of showing artists early in their careers, often before they gain global recognition. The museum debuted its new building with a large show featuring 150 artists that speculate on the world right now, especially in relation to AI and humanity.
The artworks provoke a sense of uncanniness. Uncanniness relies on our internalized understanding of norms and expectations; even a small disruption in a familiar object can feel uncanny. In her work "In Love with the World," the artist Anicka Yi presents “aerobes,” machines that float in the air, which are inspired by ocean creatures and mushrooms. These machines blur the line between technology, biology, and atmosphere, reimagining how robots or more specifically artificial intelligence might exist in the world.
Yi’s work makes the space feel alive, with her kinetic sculpture floating throughout the space, breaking boundaries of typical museum approach on space and confinement. Works in museum are mostly static while hers move freely. The museum staff explained that “these machines are running on their own, almost like cyborgs, with cameras set within the roof of the room to give boundaries to the ‘aerobes’; other than that, they are running by themselves.” The work speculates the future exploring potential scenarios that present a possible desirable futures.
Anicka Yi’s “aerobes” transform the gallery into something closer to a living environment than a display space. The floating machines move slowly and unpredictably, resembling airborne organisms rather than controlled devices. I absolutely agree with Evan that the work blurs the line between biology and technology, creating an uncanny presence that feels neither fully artificial nor alive. In my opinion the aerobes dissolve the boundary between artwork as well as the audience, and the semi-autonomous behavior suggests a future where AI is not just a tool, but an active, coexisting entity within a shared ecosystem.
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