Chang Ming Yao is a well-trained artist who has worked in the art industry. Despite this, he jokingly referred to himself as “maybe an artist” on Twitter. In the blockchain world, he has gained attention for his series of artwork created using the pixray AI image generator, including Genesis, Madonna, and The Last Supper. He has also organized and launched several events on the akaSwap platform within the Tezos community in Taiwan, such as The Secret Base project with a playful atmosphere, and the self-deprecating NFT Leakage Award and Chang Ming Yao Biennale. However, beneath the playful exterior, he also contemplates the narrative of the virtual world, the impact of political events on individual experiences, and the possibilities that can be explored within the gaps of the technical mechanism.
SCREEN (hereinafter referred to as SCR): Before you published your works on the akaSwap platform, how would you describe your practice and life during the period from 2017 to 2021?
Chang Ming Yao: (hereinafter referred to as Chang Ming Yao):
My practice and life from 2017 to 2021 can be divided into two stages: with a job and without a job. When I first graduated, I felt the need to work as a wage slave to make some money. While working in a cultural-related company, I would try to incorporate my own ideas into my design drafts, while also staying in touch with my friends in art school to see what they were working on.
Later, I had a solo exhibition curated by Yang Ya Hsiang called “Why Are You Not Injured” at Gu Ju Space in Twa-tiu-Tiann. I wanted to explore the Sunflower Movement and its aftermath through different media, using techniques like corrosion and stitching after tearing to create scars on different materials. While working at a gallery, I found that the artists I assisted still saw me as an artist, and were curious about my recent work and wanted to hear my opinion. But I wasn’t able to make enough artworks, which made me feel guilty.
After resigning from the gallery, finding a new job was difficult. Soon after, the third-level alert of the epidemic was announced, and the pressure of life in Taipei was heavy, causing some of my original plans to be suspended. But during this time, I made the decision to become a full-time artist, which led to my first Recall 77899 series on akaSwap.
Chang Ming Yao, Modonna of Artcrafts, 2022. Courtesy of the artist.
SCR: Your NFT work can be divided into two parts. One part is the three series created using Pixray. You emphasize negotiation when describing your process. Why do you want to use the term of “negotiation”? Is it because of the “Theaters of Negotiations” of the 2020 Taipei Biennale?
Chang Ming Yao: To be honest, I didn’t pay much attention to “Theaters of Negotiations” at all, hahaha. I found that among artists who use keywords to create with AI, many creators completely handed over the results to AI, which is a shame. I am curious about how human intervention can work in the process, but I hope that the resulting image will not have a too strong and aesthetically pleasing style.
One thing I am experimenting with is using the machine’s misinterpretation to continue generating images. For keywords such as banana, person, and tree, the human brain may automatically draw a person standing under a banana tree, but the machine may draw a hand of the person standing under the tree and turn it into a banana. For me, this process is similar to how textures are expressed in a painting.
Chang Ming Yao, The Last Supper, 2022. Courtesy of the artist.
SCR: In the AI-generated series, why do you want to respond to art history, especially this period of the Renaissance? Do you feel that taking back the human role was one of the creative impulses?
Chang Ming Yao: Genesis was a term written on Pixray’s website when I first discovered Pixray, it reminded me of Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Renaissance. What I was curious about is that when AI painting first appeared, people started saying that there is no need for human artists in the future because AI can do it. As an artist, I wondered where my place would be if AI can do what I do, and how can I intervene in technology?
In reality, when I was in school, I didn’t have any special feelings for the works of the Renaissance period. It’s just that the works of this period are very familiar to everyone, which saves a lot of effort in introducing the context, which is a bit of a trick. But in the process of communicating with AI, as mentioned earlier, I avoid using keywords with a clear style, such as the Holy Mother, Christianity, etc. The works of the Renaissance seem to pave the way for a space with rich meanings, and I can carry out various meaning transfers. This transfer process is negotiated between me and the machine.
SCR: In the process of minting these three series, there are also ways of driving communities. Could you please introduce why you think this way?
Chang Ming Yao: Actually, I didn’t think too much about it at the beginning. I was surprised that someone was willing to support a relatively unknown artist like me, buying every piece and collecting the whole set. The only thing an artist can do as a gesture of gratitude is to airdrop additional works. The Last Supper series is slightly different, because it was a restoration process, so a complete image will be airdropped when one collects a whole set.
SCR: Another part of your work feels that you want to use some characteristics (loopholes) of NFT to create some events, such as The Secret Base project. What significance do you think these events have on the identity of the creator and how do they shape it?
Chang Ming Yao: To be honest, I started creating these events because no one else was doing it. I often feel that in the world of blockchain or NFT, people tend to focus only on making money. But I wondered, is there any possibility other than earning profit? And whether this community can be driven by other motivations. So when I launched The Secret Base, I didn’t expect so many people to participate. As a creator, I see these projects as similar to some phenomena in contemporary art. They are not for profit, but purely for the purpose of challenging the audience’s perception and stirring up emotions.
Chang Ming Yao, NFT Leakage Award, 2022. Courtesy of the artist and akaSwap.
SCR: It can be seen that the Chang Ming Yao Biennale is also a provocation or criticism of the reality of the art world. How do you view the relationship between blockchain/NFT and the physical art world at this point in time?
Chang Ming Yao: I think there are still relatively few artists who want to engage with the larger world. Most people still want to build a profitable economic model in the blockchain world. It’s undeniable that this is still the biggest driving force. But it’s also undeniable that the current market cannot really support a person’s livelihood, and I have to face this reality.
SCR: Can you talk about the next creative endeavor? Does it include both on-chain and off-chain?
Chang Ming Yao: The first step for me is to complete some of the projects I promised on the chain. But the most important thing is to face the survival crisis. I may still need to work part-time. To be honest, I am not satisfied with only creating NFT works. It’s not just a sales consideration, but a choice in my artistic expression. I may not limit myself to a single medium and I would also like to accumulate some physical artworks.
About Chang Ming Yao:
@akaSwap.
https://akaswap.com/tz/mingyao
@Twitter.
https://twitter.com/ChangMingYao
@Matters.
https://matters.news/@eddie8342372
