A “peep show” is a specific viewing device that limits the line of sight within a frame while creating a visual experience that transcends reality. This way of seeing is not only an optical mechanism but also a metaphor; it involves the relationship between peep, desire, control and immersion. In contemporary society, the logic of viewing has long gone beyond the physical boundaries of the peepshow and evolved into a ubiquitous technological mechanism: from surveillance capitalism to algorithmic recommendation, from immersive virtual reality to digitized identity, viewing is no longer a passive behavior, but a dynamic system that is manipulated. The exhibition attempts to dismantle this viewing mechanism, making the viewer not only the peeper but also the object to be peered at, and finally breaking the boundaries of viewing.

The central question of the exhibition is: “When watching has become an institutionalized, technological act, do we still have the initiative to watch?” Centering on this issue, the exhibition unfolds from three levels: the framework of viewing, the power of viewing, and the transcendence of viewing. First, the exhibition traces the visual logic of the peepshow and simulates its limitations and immersion through contemporary art installations, making the viewer aware of how the mechanism of viewing itself is constructed. Second, the exhibition explores the relationship between viewing and power, combining issues such as surveillance, gender, race, and identity to show how viewing shapes the subject, how it becomes a means of control, and how it is resisted. Finally, the exhibition introduces AI, VR, real-time data and other technologies to make viewing dynamic, personalized, and ultimately question the authenticity of viewing.

This exhibition draws on the curatorial concept of “The Sleepwalkers” to create a flowing, non-linear viewing field. The works will constantly change with time, space and the behavior of the audience, making the exhibition an experience that cannot be fully viewed. Here, viewing is no longer static but a state of constant wandering between peeking, being peeped, getting lost, and folding. Ultimately, by deconstructing the mechanism of viewing, the exhibition hopes to make viewers rethink: in a world shaped by viewing, do we still have the freedom not to be seen?