Silicon Serenade – HSU Chia-Wei Solo Exhibition

Chia-Wei Hsu graduated from Le Fresnoy- Studio national des arts contemporains, France in 2016. He is an artist, filmmaker, and curator whose work merges the language of contemporary art and film unearthing the complex production mechanisms behind the image-creation process.

This exhibition showcases a series of works by Hsu Chia-Wei that revolve around the technological genre. This creative axis explores the transition from vacuum tube technology to digital technology, from physical materials to game engines. By exposing the medium-specific characteristics behind the images in his works, the artist presents the dual nature of these media as both a technology of memory and for imagining worlds.

The exhibition comprises five main works: “Electronic Mobility" traces a path from 1960s vacuum tube radios to the latest battery technology. “Mineral Craft" and “Earthcraft" ingeniously utilize the popular game “Minecraft" to reconstruct scenes from Taiwan and Japan, forging connections between copper, clay, and the digital realm. “The Actor from Golden Triangle" offers a nuanced exploration of the Golden Triangle region, interweaving poppy flower folklore, cinematic landscapes, and the complex dynamics of border economic zones. The new work “Silicon Serenade" melds a game engine-generated virtual beach with footage of underwater cello performances and ITRI’s AI chip manufacturing process. This piece features AI-generated lyrics that poetically narrate the transformation from sand to silicon wafers and AI chips.

Chia-Wei Hsu employs diverse media such as vacuum tube radios, reproductions of 1920s tiles, VR headsets, game engines, and AI, while also reflexively examining how media itself functions as a technology for imagining worlds and the cosmology behind technology. The process of material transformation, from substances originally existing in the natural environment to laboratory chips, constitutes today’s digital ecology. This is the artist’s path of contemplation, realized through creative practice in this journey about technology.

In October 2024, Chia-Wei Hsu was awarded the 10th Eye Art & Film Prize, becoming the first Taiwanese artist to receive this honor.

Duration｜2024.10.12 Sat.－11.10 Sun.

Grand Opening｜22024.10.12 Sat. 3pm

Venue｜Liang Gallery 2nd Floor (No. 366, Ruiguang Rd., Neihu Dist., Taipei City 114, Taiwan)

Gallery Hours｜11am – 6pm Closed on Monday