Rhett Tsai (蔡宇潇) is an internationally active artist, born in 1995 in Ningde, Fujian, and currently based in Hangzhou, China. He teaches at the Open Media Department of the School of Intermedia Art at the China Academy of Art.
Tsai expresses his critical reflections on contemporary Chinese media society through a broad range of mediums, including video games, virtual reality, computer animation, and sound. His current focus is on employing “social play” (社会游戏) as a creative method to explore the conditions of individuals living under multiple historical narratives and experiencing estrangement from the homeland. His work spans themes from technological societies to fictional wars, marginalized groups, and alternative futures.
His works have been featured in art festivals and conferences such as Sónar Festival, CURRENTS Art & Technology Festival, International Intermedia Art Festival, Kortrijk Design Week in Belgium, The Wrong Biennale, Festival ECRÃ, Milan Machinima Festival, Utopian Dystopia Festival, the Game Developers Conference (GDC), and more. His works have been exhibited at institutions such as the National Art Museum of China, El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe, the Macao Museum of Art, Annka Kultys Gallery, the West Bund Museum, Times Art Museum, OCAT Institute, Moscone Center, the Duolun Museum of Modern Art, among others. His works are part of the collections of the Times Art Museum in Beijing, the Duolun Museum of Modern Art, and the CAA Art Museum.
Tsai is the winner of the “HUA Award” at the Lumen Prize (2023). He was also a finalist for “Excellence in Visual Art” at the Independent Games Festival (2023). In addition, he received the “Best Video Game” award at the San Francisco Frozen Film Festival (2023) and was a finalist for “Virtual and Digital Art” at the Arte Laguna Prize (2024), among other honors.
He completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the Open Media Department and the Center for Chinese Visual Studies of the China Academy of Art, respectively.
蔡宇潇(Rhett Tsai)是一名活跃在国际的艺术家。他1995年生于福建宁德,现居中国杭州。目前他任教于中国美术学院跨媒体艺术学院开放媒体系。
蔡宇潇以广泛的作品形态(包括电子游戏、虚拟现实、电脑动画、声音)来表达他对当下中国媒体社会的批判性反思。他目前的关注点在于以社会游戏(social play)为创作方法,挖掘活在多重历史叙事之下的个体状况以及原乡疏离,从技术社会到虚构性战争,从边缘族群到替代性的未来。
他的作品曾参与西班牙Sónar电子艺术节、美国CURRENTS科技艺术节、中国国际跨媒体艺术节、比利时科特赖克设计周、The Wrong数字艺术双年展、巴西ECRÃ艺术节、米兰引擎电影节、印度科契Utopian Dystopia艺术节、GDC游戏开发者大会等艺术节与会议,曾于中国美术馆、圣达菲文化博物馆、澳门艺术博物馆、伦敦Annka Kultys Gallery、上海西岸美术馆、时代美术馆、OCAT研究中心、旧金山Moscone Center、上海多伦现代美术馆等机构展出。他的作品被北京时代美术馆、上海多伦现代美术馆、中国美术学院美术馆收藏。
蔡宇潇是英国流明艺术科技奖(the Lumen Prize)“华艺数奖”的大奖得主(2023),同时他也获得美国独立游戏节(Independent Games Festival)“最佳视觉艺术”的最终提名(2023)。除此之外,他还获得旧金山Frozen电影节的“最佳电子游戏”(2023)、拉古纳艺术奖(Arte Laguna Prize)“虚拟与数字艺术”的最终提名(2024)等荣誉。
他本科毕业于中国美术学院开放媒体系,硕士毕业于中国美术学院视觉中国协同创新中心。