Lecture After Dark - The Soul of Art: Redeeming AI and the Disappearance of Artistic Aura

Finished work and want to grab a drink while gaining knowledge? Why not both? Lecture After Dark brings the popular bar lecture culture from abroad to Hong Kong, hoping participants can learn new knowledge in a relaxed environment and contemplate important issues. Topic: The Soul of Art: Redeeming AI and the Disappearance of Artistic Aura When an image can be generated in seconds, many people immediately exclaim: so beautiful, but lacking soul. This statement sounds very contemporary, but it is actually very old. Plato once worried that art is just a shadow of a shadow; when photography emerged, some declared painting dead; Benjamin argued that mechanical reproduction gradually makes the aura of artworks disappear. AI did not invent this anxiety; it simply pushes the old questions into a realm with no original works, no single authors, only infinite variations. Tonight, we won’t discuss operations, won’t teach prompts, and won’t rush to answer whether “AI counts as art.” We will start from the “disappearance of aura” to ask a more troubling question: Is the so-called soul of art embedded in the unique original work, the creator's intention, or the experience of being struck at the moment of viewing? If the aura is indeed disappearing, is the object of redemption AI, art, or our imagination of art? Lecture After Dark is suitable for those who come with questions, not answers. Boli is active in contemporary art criticism, focusing on the development of artworks and the analysis of art theory, with works spanning both popular media and academic fields. His work “Abstract Expressionist Planes as Forms of Dance Documentation” won the IATC(HK) – International Association of Theatre Critics (Hong Kong) Award for a Future Called Documentation. For many years, he has been dedicated to writing art reviews and conducting artist interviews for various art exhibitions, bringing different perspectives to Hong Kong art, known for his “Boli-style art criticism” that starts from art theory. Last year, he presented a methodology for the periodization of Hong Kong art history at the European Conference on Arts & Humanities (ECAH) held at the University of London, which attracted significant attention from the academic community. Boli has recently shown a strong interest in the development of art technology and AI, serving on the committee of the Hong Kong Digital Humanities Association, publishing papers discussing the application and development of Hong Kong art in GenAI. Agenda: 5:45 PM - Entry and order drinks 6:00 PM - Lecture begins 6:45 PM - Q&A 7:15 PM - Socializing and wrapping up Price: HK$160/person (includes one alcoholic/non-alcoholic drink)