NDIKUNG, Bonaventure Soh Bejeng
Bukimi No Tani (不気味の谷): The Uncanny Valley – The Affectivity of the Humanoid

Bukimi No Tani (不気味の谷): The Uncanny Valley – The Affectivity of the Humanoid explores the complex relationship between humans and machines through sound, performance, and visual practices. The publication centers on the fourth and final Invocation for the 36th Bienal de São Paulo held in Tokyo, Japan, which draws inspiration from the concept of the “uncanny valley” proposed by Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori in 1970, to reflect on the ambiguities of the human in the face of technology and the issues that emerge at the intersection of art, artificial intelligence, and corporeality. Through its various contributions, the book considers issues such as the impact of artificial intelligence on artistic creation, the performativity of machines, and the affective dimension of the relationship between humans and automated devices. [publishers' note]

Contributions by Natsumi Aoyagi, Manauara Clandestina, Thiago de Paula Souza, Keyna Eleison, Deivison Faustino, Anna Roberta Goetz, Nina da Hora, Asako Iwama, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Andrew Maerkle, Marylya, Multiple Spirits (Mai Endo and Mika Maruyama), You Nakai, Yūkie Nagae, Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, Tavia Nyong’o, Sara Ouhaddou, Alya Sebti, Sakisaka Kujira, T-Michael, Gê Viana, Shiori Watanabe, and Gōzō Yoshimasu.

Published by D.A.P., 2025
Exhibition Catalogues / Media Studies / Essays