As machines become more like humans, how can humans live more like themselves?
This afternoon, ONEWAY Art Museum was gently stirred by a question—
A query posed by the age of AI has taken shape as a contemporary art exhibition titled “Adventure of City Baby “, opening its arms to Shijiazhuang on March 8, a day that belongs to “her.”
How many adventures lie hidden within a city?
Welcome to ” Adventure of City Baby”—step into a quiet dialogue between sculpture and the city, a contemporary fable of growth and imagination.
Thirteen artists use the language of sculpture to tell the stories of the city’s cherished “babies.”
Among them are local creators born and raised here, artistic wanderers from afar, and four masters from the West—Banksy, Maurizio Cattelan, Takashi Murakami, and Hiroshi Fujiwara. This is not a solemn East-West discourse but a game of “Truth or Dare” about the essence of art.
At the opening ceremony, Ms. Zhang Pei, Deputy General Manager of Vincentaa Group, delivered a speech, outlining the group’s steadfast commitment to using art as a catalyst for urban development. Her words reinforced our belief that ONEWAY Art Museum is a space dedicated to preserving a place where emotions and imagination can find a home in this city.
Chief curator Nan Fang reflected on the exhibition’s origin: “When AI can generate everything, we are compelled to ask—what is it that only humans can leave behind?” In his view, the answer lies in the scale of sculptures, the warmth of the artist’s touch, and the “imperfections” that algorithms can never replicate.
Three artist representatives—Cui Qiang, Huang Xingguo, and Jiang Shiguo—shared their thoughts in turn. Everyday objects, magnified, reimagined, and imbued with new life, are the artists’ gift to the city—a fairy tale that the city, in turn, offers back to us. They are proof that “humanity” still exists, a flickering flame amidst the flood of data. Each sculpture is endowed with a uniquely personalized appearance through art, both abstract and dynamic.
Step into the exhibition hall, and you’ll uncover a secret:
The scale, texture, hues, and shifting expressions under different lighting of these sculptures stem from an ancient, primal human instinct and experience. They are not passive objects to be observed but presences that “speak.”
The space itself responds to this question—the delicate interplay between space and artwork is both a visual arrangement and an emotional pause. We hope that as you wander, you’ll suddenly stop before a certain piece—not because it overwhelms you, but because it speaks something on your behalf.
Here, the city is no longer a cold, indifferent backdrop but a living, breathing entity with warmth. It is a “baby” we’ve raised together—bearing scars and dimples alike, carrying stories and light. Eastern and Western artists, in the same room, speak the same truth in different dialects: How do we love a city like a human, and in the name of art, safeguard the people within it?
May you, in this playful exploration, rediscover your original connection with the city—a warmth that belongs only to you, beyond the reach of any algorithm.
