The title came from a feeling—a misperception, events unfolding in parallel, what remains unchanged no matter how the world change, obscuration, the hidden force of control, zoning out, everyday life, romanticism, resistance, solitude, distance, polarity, timely retreat, refusal to communicate.

In the spring of 2026, I felt that the direction chosen for a group exhibition would mark a turning point—what to pay attention to, the larger environment, the difficulty of personal choices in a time full of uncertainty. Amid all this, I was fortunate to encounter a System of Human Nature called “Galaxy” . Created by an artist, its purpose is to offer guidance for the inner self. And even better, it is not AI.

What follows is a consultation with the System of Love and Desire III: Galaxy, along with its creator, artist Lai Wei’s  interpretation of the response.

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I wanted to ask about the direction of the exhibition. Though the artists and works are already set, the question doesn’t have to be about this exhibition specifically—it could refer to future ones. I have two directions in mind, or perhaps a combination of the two.

Two directions—shall we look at both? We may look at them together.

Let’s look at them together.

Draw two cards. Think about how many times you want to shuffle and cut, then give me two numbers. Left and right represent the two directions. First decide which direction is left and which is right. The first number is for the left, the second for the right.

Shuffle nine times, cut once. I’ve decided which direction is left and which is right—I just need to hold that in mind, no need to disclose them right?

Yes. Still shuffle nine times and cut once?

Yes.

Done. Two numbers. The first is for the left, the second for the right. Between 1 and 85.

3 and 71.

One moment, let me se about the scenarios.

Sun (Pursuit - Light - Conquest - Detachment) 9 .

   , The sun is all light, the beginning of seeing. The sun is also all mystery, the beginning of pursuit. The sun is also all submission, the beginning of myth.

   , What first draws me is the light at the center of the stage; once this beam appears, the dream begins.

   , I hold the sword of light in my hand, as dawn grips dusk—all light lies between my hands. I am the absolute subject, I am the conqueror, the occupier, the destroyer, or the avenger.

   , Sunlight awakens my being, lifting me from the dark earth; I rise from slumber, claiming a corner of time and space. The sun grants me the energy of life, the dazzling luster, and the power to conquer.

Fate/Difference (Region - Path - Level - Orientation) 1

   , The map of fate is composed of jigsaw pieces. It is an area illuminated by light within the darkness.

   , The jigsaw puzzle is a hunt—a net drawn from the edges toward the center, a search for kindred pieces to connect with along the way, building convenient paths, and maintaining enduring patience.

   , I am an exceedingly patient learner and repeater. I begin by seeking the boundaries and finally arrive at the center. The boundaries I seek are scattered across all levels of the world; the center I reach will be reached countless times again.

   , Fate and loneliness are born at the same time, arising from a one-in-a-billion deviation in the code. Each person has their own jigsaw puzzle.

Limit /Known (Departure - Continuation - Transformation - Combustion) 16.

   , As a new story unfolds, we have already rushed off in all directions.

   , I have been born, and I continue to live. I have said farewell, and I will continue to say farewell. I chose to forget, and pain has accompanied me. When the pain heals, love will come again.

   , Life requires processing; all energy must be fully transformed. Pain can be released as beauty, compulsive repetition can be stopped, and repression can be transformed into tension.

   , Those who constantly part ways throw themselves into things with utter abandon and leave without regret.

Three cards, all in the first archetype: the World Opener.

These two directions seem different in that, the “Sun” card is very purposeful—direct, goes straight to the point, knows exactly what it wants, seizes, obtains. A state of clarity. The “Fate” card is a state of seeking. It doesn’t know exactly what it wants—it moves forward for the sake of searching, takes the next step for the sake of searching. And in the process of searching, whatever it finds becomes part of its fate. It is exploratory. These two directions are completely different. And on the “Fate” side, there is a touch of fatalism, but also an ambition to create fate, and a state of being in the blank—as the text here says—searching for pieces of a puzzle, fitting them together, about to embark on an adventure.

Also this card is a small dragon. It came from a dream. In the dream, a dragon was beside a deep pool of water. It was night, and I had a letter I was supposed to throw into the pool. The dragon opened its eyes and said, “You haven’t finished reading this letter yet. You cannot throw it in.” I placed this dream into the “Fate” section. The English name for this card is “Difference.” The fate it seeks is itself a kind of difference.

The bottom card, “Limit,” is a state of burning, of being consumed—where all energy has been transformed. That’s what it is. Perhaps it’s only when these two directions come together that you can transform all your energy along your path.

I recently reorganized this system, so the numbers on the cards now carry additional meaning. “Fate” has a red “1.” “Sun” has a “9.” “Limit” has a “16.” If you look at these numbers, they happen to be one at the beginning, one in the middle, and one at the end. 1 and 16—the structure of the cards has 16 levels in total. You have 1, 16, and 9 in the middle. The levels mean something like: the smaller the number, the more comfortable the work, the more secure it feels. Larger numbers require more challenge, more balance—less comfortable, perhaps. In the new system, these three cards all belong to the first archetype, the World Opener, yet they also belong to three different archetypes simultaneously—there is overlap. “Fate” is relatively simple: it belongs to the World Opener, and…

I thought there would be two cards—left and right representing two directions for the exhibition, right? What does the middle card represent?

Yes, yes. Two directions, two cards. The middle card is the bottom card. It’s the environment, the atmosphere, or maybe the underlying tone of the entire endeavor—you could think of it that way.

“Sun,” then, belongs to the second archetype: the World Controller. It has, how to put it, a masculine type of control. The sun itself is like that—it can grasp what it wants to do, obtain what it wants. Something like that.

“Limit” belongs to the fourth archetype: the Magical Spirit. It has something alchemical about it. I think it’s interesting that the underlying tone is alchemical—it’s about transforming energy. That as the backdrop of an archetype feels fitting. Also, I feel “Fate” carries something more abstract, more metaphysical. “Sun” has more to do with practical action, with concrete things.

It’s interesting—the exhibition title I came up with, Not Seeing the Stars by Day, speaks to how the sun makes the stars invisible.

It really does. Without the sun, you’d see the stars. Or rather, not seeing doesn’t mean not existing.

Yes, that’s the idea. Light can also be the power that renders things invisible—just like darkness. It’s just that people don’t usually think of it that way.

These two cards also complement each other. “Sun” is “the first beam of light on the stage.” And “Fate” begins by saying it is “the area illuminated by light in the darkness.”

I noticed that connection, it’s like a montage.

Yes. And there’s also a difference between passivity and activity. “Sun” is always saying, I am illuminated, I am given energy, I am… It’s in that state. “Fate” is more about I actively seek, I explore. There’s more agency.

The darkness represented in art is always darkness that can been seen. So it still exists within light. Or rather, art makes visible what is otherwise invisible—it is a kind of alchemy. “Fate” is about breaking new ground, drawing maps of uncharted territory—“(regions, paths, levels, directions).”

Paths?

“Paths” is the second line. “The jigsaw puzzle is a hunt—a net drawn from the edges toward the center, a search for kindred pieces to connect with along the way, building convenient paths, and maintaining enduring patience.” This is about a method of constructing paths—how to find the puzzle pieces that belong together.

This is so difficult. It’s the direction I’m most afraid of.

It’s definitely difficult. It’s the first card of the system—the opener, the initiator.

Plus I’m naturally unsuited to this direction. Completely unsuited.

With a puzzle, you only gain confidence after you’ve pieced some of it together. In the beginning, it’s all fumbling.

Even now, I can barely manage it. The sense of frustration is strong. The card on the left represents what I’m relatively skilled at and find joy in.

The third line says: “I am an exceedingly patient learner and repeater. I begin by seeking the boundaries and finally arrive at the center. The boundaries I seek are scattered across all levels of the world; the center I reach will be reached countless times again.” “Scattered across all layers of the world”—that’s a lot to cover. Fate also has this quality of being all-encompassing, invisible. The sun is like that too, but the sun is easier to see.

“I am an extremely patient learner and repeater.” To me, that sounds like encouragement for someone who had failed so far.

I find that line quite compelling. Pretty cool, actually. Maybe we should ask about a more concrete method? More practical steps for the “Fate” direction. Although I have a feeling that the pleasures of the “Sun” direction might already be part of the “Fate” direction—it’s just that the “Fate” direction has a more structural quality that takes time to clarify.

Alright, but we shall save that for the right moment. I have a sense I’m still afraid to know. Honestly, I’m already quite afraid. But it’s okay—reality is a bit frightening. I feel it’s time to face some real-world difficulties. Today has already been satisfying enough just to have asked these questions. It feels like a kind of blessing.

03/27/2016