Biography

Known for his simulations that explore the nature of mutation and our capacity to relate to change, Ian Cheng draws on principles of video game design and cognitive science to create virtual ecosystems populated with characters governed by competing models of artificial intelligence (AI). His practice allows viewers to exercise feelings of anxiety, confusion and cognitive dissonance that accompany the experience of change.

Cheng’s work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at the Serpentine Galleries, London (2018); MoMA PS1, New York (2017); Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, US (2017); Migros Museum, Zurich (2016); Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin, Italy (2015); Pilar Corrias Gallery, London (2015) and Triennale di Milano (2014), among others. His work has also been shown in group exhibitions at institutions such as the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk, Denmark (2017); Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris (2017); Yokohama Triennale, Japan (2017); Tate Modern, London (2017); Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, DC (2016); Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (2016); Taipei Biennial (2014); 12th Biennale de Lyon (2013) and SculptureCenter, New York (2012).

He holds a Bachelor of Art in both Cognitive Science and Art Practice from the University of California, Berkeley (2006) and an MFA in Visual Arts from Columbia University, New York. Born in 1984 in Los Angeles, Cheng currently lives and works in New York.

SAF participation:
Sharjah Biennial 14

Related Content