Hu Chenyu's work delves into the visual habits developed by the public through the consumption of online images, and explores the power relationships embedded in images as carriers of information. His oeuvre spans various media, including photography, video, and installation.

The primary purpose of image production has always been the recording and dissemination of information. With the advent of photography during the Industrial Revolution, the realism afforded by mechanical reproduction elevated photographs to powerful evidence for explaining "truth." The camera lens captures the “here and now” of facts that our naked eyes cannot, rapidly reproducing and distributing these images to the public. Have we become so accustomed to this form of indirect "immersion" that we naturally accept the authority and authenticity of certain images? Consequently, we may overlook the fundamental fact that behind every image lies a perspective, dictating the order of viewing and reflecting a specific power context. As media evolved—from print to the internet and now to social media—the power to create and publish images has been democratized. Does this signify a redistribution of the power relations behind images? Regardless of our acknowledgment, our visual habits are continually shaped by contemporary online images, and artists are immersed in and respond to this phenomenon.

Hu Chenyu questions the authenticity of authoritative images that seem to have long been accepted, and he is weary of the visual habits solidified by these images. In response, he adopts a personal approach to challenge them. He appropriates images released by authorities, captures scenes from daily life, modifies, juxtaposes, simulates, and re-photographs them. This process disrupts and diminishes the original readability of the images, creating an unfamiliar and absurd visual illusion that is lifelike to the point of boredom. This sense of estrangement is intended to impact the artist himself before it affects other viewers. Therefore, Hu Chenyu employs a rational work methodology limit his power as a creator, leaving the interpretive space of the work open to the audience, of which he is also a part.

The theme of this exhibition in Chinese is "artificial." In Chinese, the two characters together can mean "fake," reflecting Hu Chenyu's artistic approach. He challenges the universal visual experience in the era of networked images through his individual actions, revealing the power dynamics behind these images. Although Hu Chenyu's creative process appears to be one of proving authenticity, his works themselves are also forms of false evidence, as the images are inherently artificial.