Xiaobin Lin

In this work 'HAPPY FARM', Lin Xiaobin employs visuals from the popular online game of the same name, drawing attention to the intersections between human activity, nature, and capitalistic systems. As an artist, Lin navigates the delicate balance between survival activities such as farming, and the alienating forces of capitalism that often estrange producers from their produce.

In 'HAPPY FARM', Lin masterfully merges the virtual with the natural, provoking thought about the world's relationship with absolute power. The piece utilizes imagery from a digitally constructed world, while also reflecting upon a practice as timeless and natural as farming. Lin's intention is to draw out familiarity in his work, subtly distort it, and in the process illuminate the manner in which human activities and their inherent meanings are reshaped under the pervasive influence of capitalism.

In today's world of stable social structures, rampant industrialisation, and capital domination, Xiaobin Lin observes a parallel with the novel "Brave New World". He suggests a societal system that, through capital, negates human individuality, alienates inherent human motives, and confines individuals to repetitive work roles, thus inhibiting critical thinking. 

In this work, Lin utilises pixel dots - a man-made basic unit of image display - to compose his images, a choice that simultaneously represents human invention and strips away the personalised brushstrokes of traditional artistry. The resulting works resemble the output of an algorithm, an impersonal product of programming. This technique serves as Lin's critique of a society in which individuals increasingly mirror programmed robots. Through this critique, Lin emphasises the assembly-line nature of modern society, illustrating humans as mere components sustaining the perpetual production machine - an antagonistic yet inseparable relationship.