From November 22 to 23, 2025, Minerva Gallery proudly presented Speculative Form, a dual exhibition by artists Minzhou Wang and Taoran Jiang. Centered on the dialogue between design and technology, the exhibition brought forward a forward-looking and imaginative narrative through the artists’ shared exploration of artificial intelligence, interaction design, intelligent systems, and emerging future forms. The two artists come from distinct yet complementary backgrounds: Minzhou Wang, an interdisciplinary designer and UX/UI specialist at Husqvarna North America, focuses on human–machine interaction and the tactile, behavioral aspects of digital tools; while Taoran Jiang, a UX designer whose work bridges digital experience and everyday ecologies. With a strong interest in plants and garden environments, she creates interfaces and systems that translate ecological behaviors into intuitive, human-centered design. Together, they form a compelling duo whose practices bridge science, design, and artistic speculation.
Minerva Gallery, founded by Minerva (Yiqian) Zang, is dedicated to the international development of contemporary art and to cultivating a dynamic dialogue between Chinese and global art-practices. The gallery is located in Hefei, Anhui Province, and is committed to presenting ambitious solo and group exhibitions that span painting, sculpture, installation and multimedia work, offering artists a platform to challenge norms and to engage viewers through bold, thought-provoking presentations. The gallery’s mission emphasises forging meaningful connections across borders: embracing cross-cultural perspectives, supporting emerging and mid-career artists, and contributing to the broader art ecosystem through curated programmes that extend beyond the walls of the space. In doing so, Minerva Gallery seeks to bring both local and international audiences into closer, more nuanced engagement with the evolving landscape of contemporary art.
In this exhibition, Taoran Jiang showcased her latest project, GreenHub, an AI-driven ecological platform built on visualization, predictive computation, and environmental simulation. The work investigates the future possibilities of urban green-space management and intelligent ecological systems. Through interactive interfaces and data-driven visual outputs, GreenHub allows viewers to perceive how technology “sees” the environment, revealing a future where nature and technology collaborate rather than oppose each other. Many visitors were particularly drawn to Jiang’s interdisciplinary approach that integrates environmental science, artificial intelligence, and interaction design, noting that the work encourages reflection on how technology may empower ecological stewardship rather than consume natural resources.
Minzhou Wang, working at the intersection of design and emerging technologies, presented two new creations—GEO Keyboard and OG Mechanical Keyboard. Although grounded in the familiar form of the keyboard, the works extend far beyond product design. Through sculptural form, structural precision, and deep user-experience research, Wang transforms the keyboard into a “tactile interface sculpture.” Visitors could clearly sense the themes of bodily feedback, rhythm, and behavioral traces when interacting with the pieces. These works reveal how the emotional and technical dimensions of future interactive devices may be reorganized and reinterpreted.
While the two artists follow distinct creative paths, their works intersect in meaningful ways. Both are deeply concerned with how technology shapes human behavior, space, and perception. Both challenge the traditional boundaries between product design and artistic creation. And both use the language of design to question future societies, future tools, and future modes of interaction. Throughout the exhibition, recurring threads such as “technology as material,” “information as form,” and “interfaces as narrative frames” created a coherent and future-oriented atmosphere.
Over the two-day exhibition, Speculative Form attracted designers, engineers, art students, and technology professionals. Many visitors praised the exhibition as “a pure fusion of design thinking and artistic expression,” noting how the works elevated technology from a functional tool to a cultural medium. Others remarked that touching the GEO Keyboard made them suddenly aware of “the materiality of future interaction,” revealing how tactile experience will remain essential even in increasingly digital worlds. Minerva Gallery highlighted that the exhibition not only demonstrated how design and technology can merge meaningfully but also opened new curatorial directions for future programming.
As one of Minerva Gallery’s key projects of late 2025, Speculative Form offered a compelling model for dual exhibitions: two independent yet aligned creators building a shared space for discussing future forms. Although the exhibition has concluded, the questions it raised continue to resonate. As AI and interactive systems permeate everyday life, how will our relationships with tools be redefined? What role will design play in shaping future cultures and behaviors? And can technology become a medium of poetic and emotional expression? Through their works, Minzhou Wang and Taoran Jiang provided thoughtful responses while leaving open a horizon of possibilities for ongoing exploration.
