Today we’d like to introduce you to Mingyong Cheng.
Hi Mingyong, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m a new media artist-researcher and creative technologist, primarily working in generative AI art, immersive and interactive media, and digital storytelling. In 2021, I relocated to San Diego to pursue my PhD in Visual Arts at the University of California, San Diego. Before that, I earned my MFA from Duke University and spent two years in North Carolina, where I transitioned from a documentary filmmaker and digital media journalist to a digital media artist.
During my time at Duke, I discovered my true passion while taking computational media art courses. I had the opportunity to interact with inspiring professors and artists who have shaped my journey into the world of art and technology. At UC San Diego, my PhD program is in Art Practice and Art History, allowing me to delve deeper into the art-as-research methodology and learn art history courses that have influenced my subsequent projects.
One of the most exciting aspects of being a visual art PhD here at UCSD is the opportunity to collaborate with individuals from diverse fields such as music, theater, dance, oceanography, and computer science. This interdisciplinary environment fuels my creativity and encourages me to explore innovative ideas and techniques, leading to opportunities beyond the academic setting that I am truly grateful for.
Currently, I am completing my PhD and also working as a part-time temporary employee of the Creative Technologist at the San Diego Museum of Art. In this role, I am developing an interactive interface for museum education and community engagement.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
For me, the challenges primarily stem from the vast array of entirely new concepts I encountered, such as entering the field of computational media art. Consequently, I had to self-teach most of my technical skills. While I did take some courses in computational media art at Duke, I realized that I needed more in programming and physical computing as I progressed. Therefore, I must learn numerous new things. However, it’s also incredibly satisfying when I successfully make things work, which is likely why I’m drawn to working in the art-tech industry.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a media artist and researcher working at the intersection of art, technology, and ecology. My work explores how generative AI can be more than a tool, becoming a creative collaborator that helps us understand intelligence as something shared among human, artificial, and natural systems. I am completing my Ph.D. in Visual Arts at UC San Diego, advised by Memo Akten and Pinar Yoldas.
Collaboration is central to my practice. I work closely with artists, scientists, and technologists to create projects that connect performance, sound, and computation. Learning to Move, Learning to Play, Learning to Animate, developed with Sophia Sun, Han Zhang, Yuemeng Gu, and erika, examines more-than-human intelligence through performance, organic robotics, and real-time AI visuals. The work received the IEEE TCPAMI Artist Award at CVPR and was published in ACM SIGGRAPH Art Papers.
With Katherine Helen Fisher and Shimmy Boyle, I collaborate through Hyperreal Lab and Safety Third Productions. We created Bodies in Hyperreality based on our ongoing research in generative AI and realtime choreographic interface, presented at Jacob’s Pillow’s Doris Duke Theater. It reimagines dance archives through real-time AI systems and audience interaction and was featured in The New York Times and The Observer.
I also worked with composer Lei Liang and calligrapher Wenny H. Chang on Echoes of Shanshui, commissioned by the Museum of Photographic Arts at the San Diego Museum of Art and presented by the Chinese Art and Culture Society of San Diego with support from the Wind Eave Cultural Association. We created Five Seasons and Snowscape, two audiovisual works that connect painting, music, and AI to reflect on cultural and environmental continuity.
For ongoing projects, beyond my thesis artworks, I am collaborating with composer Timothy “Ill Poetic” Gmeiner on extending Do You Smile in Your Dream, part of his Dreams Dyed Blue concert, into a Dome and VR experience, exploring how memory and emotion take shape in virtual space.
What I am most proud of is that my work has built genuine collaboration across disciplines and invited people from different fields to see technology and art as connected ways of thinking. Many of these projects have reached audiences beyond the art world, including scientists, composers, and educators, and have been exhibited at venues such as SIGGRAPH, NeurIPS, ISEA, and CVPR. I am proud that my work has been recognized not only for its innovation but also for its ability to connect research, creativity, and cultural reflection.
I approach both my creative and academic work as ways to expand how we sense and interpret the world. Whether through interactive installations, performances, or teaching, I see each project as an opportunity to build understanding and imagination through art and technology.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I believe most people I collaborate with are aware that I’m a new media artist, but they might not know that I was also a documentary filmmaker before. During my undergraduate studies, I also worked as a freelance graphic designer. I believe the design and filmmaking skills I acquired form the foundation of digital storytelling and visual communication in my current work, even though it’s more artistically driven. I’m generally interested in computational media. Even in my free time, I still spend a lot of time on computers. I’m a big fan of video games. I love how games create fantastical worlds that transport us to other realms and truly influence my life and imagination. Sometimes, they even inspire my artistic creations.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mingyongcheng.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mingyong_art/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mingyongcheng/
Image Credits
The portrait photograph of me (image 6): Mingyong Cheng at Echoes of Shanshui event, Photograph by YueMeng Gu
Image 1-3 and 7: Learning to Move, Learning to Play, Learning to Animate, 2025, multimedia performance, Photograph by Cali2 AV and media team.
Image 4; Frame from Six Seasons, 2024, audiovisual art in collaboration with Lei Liang, Joshua Jones and Lei Lab. Image by Mingyong Cheng.
Image 5: Artist Journal (2019), designed by Mingyong Cheng.
Image 8: Mingyong Cheng presented at SIGGRAPH 2025.
