Cao Fei
i.Mirror (2007)
28 min

i.Mirror documents real events that China Tracy, Cao Fei’s avatar, experiences in Second Life.

Second Life is an online world where you can create your own avatars and meet other people’s virtual doubles. The first edition was launched in 2003, and the infrastructure is for the most part created by the users themselves. China Tracy goes on a date with a seemingly young man named Hugyue, who turns out to be a 65-year old American. Together they reflect on the relationship between their lives off-screen and their second, electronic life. Second Life is described as free space where you can live out your true self and reflect the person you want to be. Nonetheless, feelings and experiences in the two worlds are intertwined.

Cao Fei (1978) is a Chinese artist based in Beijing.

This artwork is part of the online exhibition CADS #2: The Game of Life (15 April - 11 May 2021)