AI Mom and Super Mom Training Gym: Jiabao Li's Feminist Biohacking Show in San Francisco

Jiabao Li, an artist, designer, technologist, and associate professor at Northeastern University's College of Arts, Media and Design, presents 'Womb Wetware,' her first solo exhibition at TIAT (The Intersection of Art and Technology) in downtown San Francisco, on view through August 22. The show features 14 works from her feminist biohacking projects, exploring the political, economic, and cultural forces shaping women's bodies. A centerpiece is 'Super Mom Training Gym,' an interactive game where a pregnant avatar with superhero strength lifts hospitals and karate-kicks insurance claims, reflecting societal pressures on mothers. Li, who was pregnant during the creation of the works, had her body scanned with over 350 DSLR cameras to create the avatar. Another piece, 'AI Mom,' is an algorithmically driven maternal presence that viewers interact with in a crib, customizable via sliders for traits like unconditional love and nagging frequency. The show also includes 'Braxton Hicks is Here,' a manga series depicting male doctors who named female anatomy, and 'Baby Shark Tank,' a video installation where Li and her husband, biophysicist Cooper Galvin, pitch a 10% stake in their baby to real venture capitalists. Li, who is based in San Francisco and teaches at Northeastern's Oakland campus, was named to Forbes China's 30 Under 30 list in 2022. TIAT, opened in October by multimedia artist Ash Herr, is an experimental gallery and performance space for creative technologists.