# Hsin-Chien Huang

Hsin-Chien Huang (Chinese: 黃心健, born 13 January 1966) is an artist and director working in mixed media. Science, technology, new media, programming, and algorithms are tools he uses to bring the universe of his imagination to life. He served as artistic director for SEGA and Sony. Huang collaborated with pioneering American media artist Laurie Anderson on their VR work La Camera Insabbiata/Chalkroom which won the Best VR experience Award at the 74th Venice International Film Festival(it was the first edition of the festival that introduced its virtual-reality section); he also designed her 1995 CD-ROM, Puppet Motel. His work Bodyless was also nominated in the 76th of the festival. In 2011，Huang received the "Pride of Taiwan" honor from president of Taiwan Ma Ying-jeou.
He founded Storynest Studio after 2001, which engaged in artistic creation and commercial design. Huang is currently a distinguished professor at National Taiwan Normal University.
His VR film Samsara won the 2021 SXSW Jury Award.

## Early life

At the age of four, the cornea of Hsin-Chien Huang's right eye was damaged so badly he was practically blind in that eye, his vision only returning after receiving a donated cornea at age 14. He lacked depth perception in the interim, so seeing things "properly" has since felt like a luxury to him.
Huang's mother is the eminent oil painter, Lee Lan. Raised in an artistic environment, Huang was given his first computer, an Apple II, when he was in senior high school. Since that time, programming language has become his second language.
After graduating from college in Taiwan with a degree in mechanical engineering, he went on to earn a bachelor's degree in product design from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, followed by a master's degree from the Institute of Design at Chicago's Illinois Institute of Technology.

## Artwork

| Year | Title |
| 2022 | VR: The Eye and I |
| 2021 | VR: Samsara |
| 2020 | Through the Body |
| 2019 | VR: Bodyless |
| 2019 | VR: Kuo Hsueh-Hu: Three States of Home Gazing |
| 2019 | VR: The Universe of Liu Kuo-Sung |
| 2018 | VR: To the Moon |
| 2017 | VR: La Camera Insabbiata |
| 2017 | VR: Aloft |
| 2017 | Window of Heaven and Earth, Mirror of the Travelers |
| 2013 | The Moment We Meet |

## Exhibitions

* 2024 - 'Living in the (Un)real: An Immersive Journey between Art and Surveillance' at MEET Cultural Digital Center, Milan, Italy
* 2022 - 'Hsin-Chien Huang: The Data We Called Home' at Pratt Gallery - New York, the States
* 2022 - 'Being X: Hsin-Chien Huang's Metaverse Theater' at Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts - Kaohsiung, Taiwan
* 2021 - "Un portal a la memoría" at L.E.V. Festival, Gijón, Spain
* 2020 - "Out of the window" International Exhibition Produced by Taoyuan Museum of Fine Arts & Centraal Museum Utrecht - Taoyuan, Taiwan
* 2020 - "In the name of tree" Art Museum of National Taiwan Normal University - Taipei, Taiwan
* 2020 - "RE:Human Touch- A Closer Future" Taiwan Creative Content Agency - Taipei, Taiwan
* 2019 - "Immersive Interactive Unit" International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam - Amsterdam, Netherlands
* 2019 - "Vortex Program" Laboratorio de Electrónica Visual L.E.V. Festival - Madrid, Spain
* 2019 - "Every step in the right direction" Singapore Art Museum - Singapore, Singapore
* 2019 - "Our Moon. Longing, Art and Science" Naturhistorisches Museum Wien - Vienna, Austria
* 2017 - "La Camera Insabbiata/Chalkroom" Taipei Fine Arts Museum - Taipei, Taiwan
* 2014 - "Thus have I remembered, once my mind was free" Cathay Gallery - Taipei, Taiwan
* 2008 - "The art of mortal apparatus" Taipei Fine Arts Museum - Taipei, Taiwan

## Collaboration

* 2010 Taipei International Flora Exposition: Hall Design (2019)
* Expo 2010 Shanghai China: Interactive Device (2010)
* Incomparable concert Jay Chou: Audio Visual Design (2004)
* Puppet Motel: Designer of the music/art CD-ROM by Laurie Anderson (1995)

## Awards

| Year | Event | Award | Work | Status |
| 2023 | FilmGate Miami Interactive Media Festival | Best of Fest Award | The Eye and I | Won |
| 2023 | XRMust XR Awards | Creator of the Year Award | The Eye and I | Won |
| 2023 | Animest Romania International Animation Festival | Best VR Short Film | Samsara | Won |
| 2022 | Muse Design Awards 2022 | Conceptual Design - Gaming, AR & VR (NEW) | Dance of Light | Won |
| 2022 | VR AWARDS 2022 | VR Film of the Year | Samsara | Nominated |
| 2022 | Bolton International Film Festival | VR Competition | Samsara | Nominated |
| 2022 | SIGGRAPH 2022 | VR Competition | Samsara | Nominated |
| 2022 | Ottawa International Animation Festival | Best Virtual Reality | Samsara | Nominated |
| 2022 | Prix Ars Electronica | Computer Animation Honorary Mention | Samsara | Won |
| 2022 | Annecy International Animated Film Festival | VR Competition | Samsara | Nominated |
| 2022 | Animafest Zagreb | VR Competition: the Best VR Project | Samsara | Won |
| 2022 | International Festival of Animated Films ANIFILM | International Competition of VR Films | Samsara | Nominated |
| 2022 | Laval Virtual Awards | VR/AR for Entertainment & Medias | Samsara | Nominated |
| 2021 | Jeddah Red Sea International Film Festival (RedSeaIFF) | Sliver Yusr Immersive Award | Samsara | Won |
| 2021 | Geneva International Film Festival (GIFF) | Future IS SENSIBLE Award | Samsara | Nominated |
| 2021 | VRE VIRTUAL REALITY EXPERIENCE -EXTENDED EDITION (3rd Edition) | Special Jury Prize | Samsara | Won |
| 2021 | Festival of International Virtual & Augmented Reality Stories (FIVARS) | Best Interactive Experience | Samsara | Won |
| 2021 | Venice International Film Festival | VR Expanded Section | Samsara | Nominated |
| 2021 | Cannes XR | Best VR Story | Samsara | Won |
| 2021 | The 5th Indian World Film Festival (India) | Short Animation | Bodyless | Won |
| 2021 | Texas SXSW Festival (Texas) | Jury Award | Samsara | Won |
| 2020 | Los Angeles Film Award (Los Angeles) | Best Virtual Reality | Bodyless | Won |
| 2020 | Asian Academy Creative Awards (Singapore) | Best Immersive(360, VR) | Kuo Hsueh-Hu: Three States of Home Gazing | Won |
| 2020 | Newimages Festival (Paris) | Golden Mask | Bodyless | Won |
| 2020 | Prix Ars Electronica (Austria) | Honorary Mention | Bodyless | Won |
| 2019 | Kaohsiung Film Festival (Kaoshsiung) | Special Mention | Bodyless | Won |
| 2019 | The 76th Venice International Film Fextival | Interactive | Bodyless | Nominated |
| 2017 | The 74th Venice International Film Festival | Best VR Experience Award | La Camera Insabbiata | Won |
| 2013 | Public Art Award (Taipei) | Art Creation Price | The Moment We Meet | Won |

## Publications

* Huang Hsin-Chien’s XR Insights 2022. ISBN 9786269519491
* The Color Devourer 2016. ISBN 9789574741458
* Technology Mirage 2013. ISBN 9862134224
* Pictographic Labyrinth 2003. ISBN 9789574113088