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Biography of Sougwen Chung

Early Life

Sougwen Chung (鍾愫君) was born in Toronto, ON, Canada, and raised in Hong Kong. Her upbringing was heavily influenced by music, as her father, an opera singer, ensured she was well-versed in playing musical instruments like the violin and piano from a young age. Chung moved to the United States during her teenage years, where she pursued a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Indiana University. She later obtained a Master’s Diploma in Interactive Art from Hyper Island in Sweden.

Career

Chung’s multifaceted artistic practice spans performance, drawing, still image, sculpture, and installation. Her work explores the intersection of human and machine-made marks, delving into the collaborative potential between computers and humans.

Major Works and Exhibitions

Chung's work has been exhibited in various prestigious galleries and museums worldwide, including:

  • EMMA (Espoo Museum of Modern Art) in Espoo, Finland
  • MAMCO (Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art) in Geneva, Switzerland
  • Vancouver Art Gallery in Vancouver, Canada
  • Akbank Sanat in Istanbul, Turkey

She has also been a prominent speaker at numerous international conferences, such as:

  • Tribeca Film Festival, New York
  • The Hospital Club, London
  • MUTEK Festival, Montreal & Mexico City
  • Sónar +D, Barcelona
  • The Art Directors Club, New York
  • SXSW, Austin
  • SIGGRAPH, Vancouver
Notable Works

  1. Drawing Operations Unit (2017)

    • This project explores the application of machine learning to replicate the artist's hand-drawing style. A robotic arm, trained on Chung’s drawing gestures using neural networks, performs in a duet with her, blending human creativity with machine precision.

  2. MEMORY (Drawing Operations Unit Generation 2) (2022)

    • Acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, this work includes a fine art print, a documentary film of Chung’s process, and a 3D printed sculpture housing a Recurrent Neural Network model.

  3. LIFE / LINES (2023)

    • Presented at Bulgari's 'Serpenti: 75 Years of Infinite Tales' exhibition in Milan, this multimedia sculpture utilizes real-time motion-capture data, rendered in large-scale 3D printed chrome to resemble liquid mercury.
Residencies and Awards
  • MIT Media Lab: Former researcher
  • NEW INC: Inaugural member of this New Museum-led technology and art incubator.
  • Bell Labs: Artist-In-Residence, exploring new drawing forms in virtual reality using biometrics, machine learning, and robotics.
Recognition
  • TED@BCG Mumbai (2019): Presented a talk titled "Why I Draw with Robots."
  • The New York Times (2023): Contributed a guest essay titled "Where Does A.I. End and We Begin?"
  • TIME 100 AI (2024): Honored for significant contributions to the field of artificial intelligence.
  • TIME 100 Impact Award (2024): Recognized for substantial contributions to the intersection of art and technology.

Media Coverage

Chung's work has garnered attention from major international press, including:

  • The New Yorker
  • Art F City
  • Artnet
  • Artsy
  • Dazed and Confused
  • The Creators Project
  • Mashable
  • EXIT Magazine
  • Engadget
  • Business Insider
  • Fast Company
  • USA Today

Chung continues to push the boundaries of art and technology, creating works that challenge and redefine the relationship between humans and machines.

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