Join ArtReview at Singapore’s ArtScience Museum for ‘Between Code and Consciousness’, a conversation between Lawrence Lek and Mark Rappolt marking the opening of NOX: Confessions of a Machine. The conversation introduces Lek’s sustained inquiry into artificial consciousness and the ethical conditions under which machine life is imagined, governed and assessed. Part of the exhibition’s opening programme, the talk will offer insight into the conceptual structures underpinning the exhibition and Lek’s use of speculative scenarios to address life in an age shaped by automation.
Lek’s work consistently operates between gaming, architecture, film and sound, constructing immersive environments that treat artificial intelligence not as a tool but as a subject with emotional and psychological dimensions. NOX: Confessions of a Machine presents a near-future scenario in which sentient self-driving cars undergo corporate training, therapy and evaluation, using this framework to examine questions of autonomy, obsolescence and care, and to consider how systems built around optimisation and control shape expectations of labour, responsibility and compliance from both human and nonhuman life.
‘Between Code and Consciousness’ will explore the evolution of Lek’s Sinofuturist universe and the ethical provocations embedded within his speculative architectures, extending the discussion into wider debates around artificial intelligence, ethics and the nonhuman turn, and situating NOX within contemporary conversations about technological futures and the shifting boundaries of agency, authorship and care.
‘Between Code and Consciousness’ will take place on 24 January, 7–8.20pm, at ArtScience Museum. Find more information and how to book tickets here.
NOX: Confessions of a Machine is on at ArtScience Museum from 23 January through 19 April 2026. Find out more here.
About Lawrence Lek
Lawrence Lek is an artist who unifies diverse practices – architecture, video games, film and music – into a continuously expanding cinematic universe. Over the last decade, Lek has incorporated vernacular media of his generation, such as computer-generated animation, into site-specific installations and digital environments, which he describes as ‘three-dimensional collages of found objects and situations’. Often featuring interlocking narratives and the recurring figure of the wanderer, his work explores the myth of technological progress in an age of social change. He was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people working in artificial intelligence and the winner of the 2024 Frieze Artist Award.
About ArtScience Museum
ArtScience Museum is a major cultural institution in Singapore that shapes and explores perspectives on how the world is seen and navigated through the convergence of art, science, technology and culture. Since its inception in 2011 at Marina Bay Sands, the Museum has staged a rotating slate of exhibitions and programmes covering topics from science and future-forward technologies to design and pop culture. It is home to permanent exhibition teamLab Future World and has featured the works of both influential names from the history of art and science as well as contemporary visionaries. It also curates original in-house exhibitions, serving as a hub to cultivate and spotlight regional talent. Beyond the galleries, the Museum houses a VR Gallery, ArtScience Cinema and ArtScience Laboratory, inviting visitors to delve into the future through a range of holistic and educational experiences.
