BOBBY HSIUNG, New Deity, 2022, Art Installation, London

SUB-SYSTEMS, 2022, St.James Church, Goldsmiths, London


Created in 2022, before generative AI entered mainstream use, New Deity explored its potential as a new form of ritual interface. Audience participation triggers personalised visual and textual responses, turning interaction with an algorithmic system into a contemporary ritual.



Info, Exhibition and Award:

New Deity is an interactive installation featuring a technological altar for the supreme deity of the digital age. As religious communities shift online, the traditional notion of gods blurs, and the sacredness and rituals essential to believers' faith wane. Consequently, congregations treat machines as all-powerful gods, while the blending of religious images in cyberspace leads to a chaotic integration of various faiths.

The new deity represents a fusion of transitioning gods from diverse core religions, cults, and pagan beliefs, displayed on a cluster of screens. Audience members engage by praying at the altar and receiving a personalised blessing script from the new deity. Generated by machine learning techniques such as StyleGAN and GPT, the content effectively captures and combines the essence of different religious symbols, images, and texts. New Deity offers a thought-provoking exploration of technology's impact on the nature of belief, inviting viewers to contemplate the evolving landscape of faith in our connected world.

➊SUB-SYSTEMS, Sep 2022, St. James Church, London, UK. Curated by Jessica Wolpert ➋Creative Machine Symposium Exhibition: An Interrogation of AI Creativity, Sep 2022, Professor Stuart Building, London, UK. Curated by Na An, Rachel Falconer, Isabella Paterson ➌V&A Museum Digital Design Weekend, London Design Festival, Sep 2022, V&A Musuem, London, UK. Curated by Marc Barto (V&A Museum) ➍Alt-Alterity, Dec 2023, new art city, New York, US. Curated by Amy Jiang (UAAD) ➎100+ Asian Art Season, Nov 2024, Buji Culture and Sports Centre, Shenzhen, China. Curated by Shenzhen Fringe Art Center

➊Lumen Prize 2023, Sep 2023, Shortlisted. by the Lumen Prize ➋18° EDITION 23.24, Arte Laguna Prize, First Selection. by the Arte Laguna Prize
Image (4)
SUB-SYSTEMS, 2022, St.James Church, Goldsmiths, London
Alt-Alterity, 2023, new art city, New York
BOBBY HSIUNG

Upcoming: 

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Previously: 

         Art
After Eden, 2026, The Crypt Gallery, London●
LOLLIPOP for HSIUNG®, 2025, London○
DROPS for HSIUNG®, 2025, London●
Prophecy, 2024, London●
our slanted. deserted. pursuit, 2024, hARTSlane, London●
Mutual Metaphor, 2023, London●
Monument, 2022, London●
New Deity, 2022, London●
Flower, 2022, London●

         Design
THE EEL PROJECT, Visual Identity, 2026●
HSIUNG®, Visual Identity, 2025●
Lighthouse Art, Visual Identity, 2024●
Musicians in the UK, Visual Identity, 2024●
S**tboo Studio, Visual Identity, 2023●
XIAN Dimension, Visual Identity, 2021●Founder of HSIUNG® and THE EEL PROJECT CIC, 
aka Bobby Zhaocheng Xiong, 
based in London

Artist, curator and multidisciplinary designer whose practice spans interactive installations, digital media, moving image and visual communication. Drawing on East Asian cultural references and speculative technologies, his art explores spirituality, posthumanism and belief systems through immersive environments and participatory experiences. With a background in computational arts and industrial design, his design work extends across visual identity, photography, print and exhibition environments, bringing together digital experimentation and physical production. His work has been presented at the V&A Digital Design Weekend, Creative Machine and the 100+ Asia Art Season, and he was shortlisted for the Lumen Prize.

CV
bobby@hsiung.co.uk
@zchsiung

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