Huidi Xiang is one of ArtConnect’s Artists to Watch '22

Huidi Xiang is an artist based in Brooklyn, New York, USA. In her practice, Huidi makes sculptural objects, installations, and systems to examine the spatial and temporal effects of inhabiting both virtual and physical worlds in late capitalism. By reimagining elements from different contexts, including on- and off-line, she creates works to construct a realm situating in between, intending to articulate the emerging politics associated with the ever-expansive merging between the real and the simulated.

Huidi’s latest research focuses on the complex interplay between play and labor in our contemporary life, where the boundaries between these two are increasingly blurred. Starting from her own exhausting gaming experience while playing video games, her research topics now include the laborious gaming culture, game worker, alienated play, the notion of gamification/ludification, the burnout culture, and the growing virtual telematic economies.

ArtConnect asked the winning artists to share with us a glimpse into their creative life to get a sense of their personal inspiration and artistic process.

How did you get started as an artist?

Before practicing as a sculptor, I was in architecture school. I learned a lot from the discourse of architecture, and it is still an important subject matter and a methodology in my art practice. But I was looking for a more genuine and straightforward way to express myself. So I started making sculptures, which became a more suitable language for exploring and communicating.

How would you describe your artistic approach?

I think all my works are parts of my research process and the way for me to communicate this process. I study closely the topics or critical issues I am curious about, and then I use my works to show my observations, propose my answers, or develop my alternative narratives to the usually singular grant one. In a way, I also consider my current practice as a way of hacking into the existing systems. Many of my works mimic the existing objects or systems, but they usually use a playful yet serious language to push the logic to an absurd level, to convolute and thus challenge the ideas taken for granted.

And how about what inspires you?

My on- and off-line surroundings. My phone is actually full of photos of random stuff I have encountered in my daily life and thousands of screenshots. Once in a while, I go through them and take notes of the ideas I get from them. I also try to go to exhibitions, shows, and events as often as I can.

What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced as an artist?

The access to space, facilities, and materials has been the biggest challenge for me. I always spend too much time securing all the resources I need to make a work. It’s complicated to cultivate a sustainable practice while struggling to balance making artworks and supporting myself.

Describe a typical day in the studio/wherever you make your work.

I don’t have a typical schedule for my day-to-day studio practice. Since my projects usually start with research, conceptualization, and digital sketches in the 3d modeling software, and I work a lot with digital fabrication, which requires a lot of preparation on the computer, I don’t need to be in my physical studio the whole time as long as I have access to my computer. However, once I have done the initial research and drafting phase on my laptop, I go to my studio, usually in the afternoon, to work on making the physical part of my work. There is definitely a lot of back and forth between the digital and the physical workspace during the making process, which I think is actually also imperative to the conceptual part of my practice.

Is there a medium, a process, or a technique that you haven't used in your work yet but would like to try out?

I’d like to make animated short videos.

What are you currently working on? Or an upcoming project you want to mention?

I am working on a new sculptural installation with some components in the physical space while others in the digital world. The audience is expected to transfer between the worlds while viewing or experiencing the work to get the full picture of the narrative. This body of work is my further exploration of the blurry boundaries between the real and the simulated.

How does it feel to be selected as an ArtConnect Artist to Watch?

I feel super grateful for this opportunity. I am thrilled to become part of this community of amazing artists and excited about sharing my practice here.

See more of Huidi’s work

Website | Instagram | ArtConnect Portfolio