XOXO by Arielko is a collection of five video works that explores what happens when our most intimate moments are filtered through artificial means. This series contemplates how we reconcile our deep human need for connection with the increasingly synthetic world we have built around ourselves.

Through a series of AI-generated sequences, Arielko examines the persistence of love and comfort—expressed through hugs and kisses—even when rendered in materials that seemingly resist intimacy. Glass-like surfaces, plastic forms, and artificial skins become unlikely vessels for tenderness, challenging the boundaries between the synthetic and the profoundly human.

The project emerged from an unexpected discovery—a particular style in Midjourney that evoked both delicacy and artificiality. Its aesthetic recalls a diverse spectrum of influences: from the fragile glass figurines cherished by the artist’s grandmother to disposable plastic toys, from the neon glow of Tokyo’s cityscapes to the hyper-polished world of cosmetic perfection.

Through these works, Arielko invites viewers to reflect on what remains fundamentally human when emotion is expressed through inhuman forms. As artificial figures embrace and connect, they provoke a paradoxical response: How can something so synthetic still awaken an instinctive recognition of intimacy? In this tension between the artificial and the intimate, XOXO meditates on the shifting relationship between authenticity and digital mediation in contemporary life.