Sheung Yiu 姚尚勤
Visual Artist & Researcher
Sheung Yiu (HK/FI) is a Hong-Kong-born, image-centered artist and researcher, based in Helsinki. His artwork explores the act of seeing and sense-making through algorithmic image systems. His research interests concern the increasing complexity of algorithmic image systems in contemporary digital culture. He looks at photography through the lens of new media, scales, and network thinking; He ponders how the posthuman cyborg vision and the technology that produces it transform ways of seeing and knowledge-making. Adopting multi-disciplinary collaboration as a mode of research, his works examine the poetics and politics of algorithmic image systems, such as computer vision, computer graphics, and remote sensing, to understand how to see something where there is nothing, how to digitize light, and how vision becomes predictions. His work takes the form of photography, videos, photo-objects, exhibition installations, and bookmaking.
Sheung Yiu (HK/FI) on hongkongilainen kuvataiteilija ja tohtoritutkija Helsingistä. Hänen kiinnostuksenaan on tietokonevalokuvauksen lisääntyvä monimutkaisuus ja toimijuus nykyajan digitaalisessa kulttuurissa. Hän pyrkii laajentamaan sen ontologiaa muotoilemalla yhteyksiä valokuvauksen teorioiden ja uusien realismin muotojen, olio-ontologian ja verkostoajattelun välillä. Taiteelliseen työskentelyyn ja monitieteiseen yhteistyöhön pohjautuvassa tutkimuksessaan hän tarkastelee teoksissaan laskennallisen tietokonevalokuvauksen poetiikkaa ja politiikkaa, kuten tietokonenäköä, tietokonegrafiikkaa ja etäaistimuksia. Yiun teokset ovat valokuvia, videoita, valokuvaobjekteja, näyttelyinstallaatioita ja kirjoja.
Solo Exhibitions
2024 ‘Everything is a Projection’, 25 Jan - 31 Mar 2024, WMA Space, Hong Kong
‘If Light Gives Us Knowledge, Bacteria Give Us Memories’, 15 May – 2 Jun 2024, Gallery Uusi Kipinä, Lahti, Finland
‘Between Two Trees, There Are Many Worlds’, 13 Sept 2024 - TBC, Galleri Format, Sweden
2023 ‘The Poetics of Science’, 22 Apr - 21 May 2023, NOUA, Bodø, Norway
2022 ‘Common Objects in Context’, 5 - 28 Aug 2022, Hippolyte Gallery. Helsinki, Finland.
‘How To See Something Where There Is Nothing’, 25 Mar - 17 Apr 2022, Titanik Gallery, Turku, Finland.
‘Ground Truth, or How To Resurrect A Tree’, 2 Feb 2022 - 20 Feb 2022, MAA-tila Project Space, Helsinki, Finalnd.
‘Sheung Yiu: Ground Truth, or How To Resurrect A Tree’, 8 Dec 2021 - 16 Jan 2022, Mai Manó Ház, Budapest, Hungary.
2020 ‘The Twinkling of an Eye’, 3-26 Jan 2020. Hippolyte Gallery, Helsinki, Finland.
2018 ‘Look Like Science’. 15 Jan - 26 Jan 2018. NODE Gallery, Helsinki, Finland.
Selected Exhibitions
2024 ‘FOAM Talent 2024-2025’, 23 Feb - 22 May 2024, FOAM Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
‘HAIHATUS25: Haihatus Art Centre’s 25th Anniversary Summer Exhibition’, 15 Jun – 25 Aug 2024, Haihatus Art Centre, Juotsa, Finland
‘Booked 2024’ 11-26 May 2024, MUU Contemporary Art Center, Helsinki, Finland
2023 ‘Systems’, 29 Sept - 3 Dec 2023, Artsi Museum, Vantaa, Finland
‘INDEX NATURAE’, Omne Festival, 22 Sept - 30 Oct 2023, Bologna, Italy
‘Ground Truth, or How To Resurrect a Tree’, 6 Sept - 6 Oct 2023, Aalto University, Finland
‘Index’, Fotobokfestival Oslo, 31 Aug - 10 Sept 2023, Gamle Munch, Oslo, Norway
Mäntän äärellä, 2-30 Jul 2023, Mänttä, Finland
FORMAT23 Festival, 16 Mar 2023 - 9 Apr 2023, Derby, The UK
‘Booked’ in Supermarket, 11-14 May 2023, Stockholm, Sweden
2022 ‘Photobook Award 2021’, 10 Dec 2022 - 19 Feb 2023, PhotoNorth The Northern Photographic Center. Oulu, Finland.
‘Ground Truth’, 16 Sep 2022 - 30 Oct 2022, Singapore International Photography Festival. Singapore.
‘New North, New Perspectives’, 10 Sept 2022 - 16 Oct 2022, PhotoNorth The Northern Photographic Center. Oulu, Finland.
Athens Photo Festival. 8 June - 24 July 2022, Benaki Museum / Pireos 138, Athens, Greece.
Circulation(s) Festival 12th Edition, 2 April - 29 May 2022, Le CENTQUATRE-PARIS, Paris, France.
2021 PERCEIVING LANDSCAPE(S), 16 - 30 Nov 2021, KORAI Project Space, Nicosia, Cyprus.
X-disciplinary Congress, Oct 2021. Atletika Gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania. (video documentation)
Sarajevo Roses and Clouds of June, Oct 2021. Third Space, Helsinki, Finland.
Genesis: Discovery Award 2021 Projection. 17 Sept - 31 Oct 2021. Encontros Da Imagem, Braga, Portugal.
SOFT images, 2 Sept - 5 Sept 2021. FotoTallinn, Kai Art Center, Tallinn, Estonia.
First International Festival of Manuports, 12 August - 10 October 2021. Kohta, Helsinki, Finland.
The Makeable Minds. 7 Aug - 28 Nov 2021, Noordelicht Festival, Groningen and Friesland, The Netherlands.
Temporary Bookshelf. 2020 - now, Kosminen Gallery, Helsinki, Finland.
2020 Related Realities. 4 Sept - 8 Nov 2020. Backlight Festival 2020, Tampere, Finland.
Not to Sing Like a City Bird Sings. June 2020. Pori Biennale, Online, Finland.
H_st_rical Narratives. 12-14 Jun 2020. Shelter Festival (Suoja), Online, Finland.
2019 What Are We Now? 14 Mar - 02 Apr 2019. Beta Gallery, Espoo, Finland.
The Stars Look So Different Tonight. 29 Jan - 2 Mar 2019, Fotogalerie Wien, Vienna, Austria.
2018 Performative Measurements. 25 Oct 2018 - 14 Nov 2018. Hong Kong International Photo Festival, Hong Kong.
Infinite Sauvage. 4 Aug - 9 Sept 2018. International Summer School of Photography 2018, Latvia.
Simultaneous Eidos. 15 Dec 2017 - 8 Mar 2018. Guangzhou Image Triennial, Guangzhou, China.
2017 NTU IPA Winner Showcase. 2017. ADM Gallery, Singapore.
2016 FAUX. 1-30 Apr 2016. The Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, US.
Presentations
2024 ‘Hyperimage: Imaging Practices on a Larger-Than-Human Scale’, Helsinki Photomedia Conference 2024, Aalto University
‘To Catch a Fish in a Digital Sea’, Desktop Lecture Performance’, WMA Space, Hong Kong
Exchange Circle: Unveiling the Digital Canvas, Hong Kong Art Basel, Hong Kong
Ground Truth, or the Ouroboros of Photography and Data, Goethe Institut, Hong Kong
Meet the Foam Talents, FOAM Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2023 ’Re-visioning the forest off-the-human-scale: A photograph, a satellite image, a 3D point cloud,’ Art of Research Conference 2023, Aalto University
Collective book signing talk Across the Connection, Unseen Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Panel Discussion and Book Launch: Everything is a Projection, Utopias Festival, Lahti, Finland
2022 Spotting A Tree From A Pixel – Ground Truth and Posthuman Visions
Expanded Visualities: Photography and Emerging Technologies (6th International Conference of Photography and Theory),
organized by the International Association of Photography and Theory, Cyprus
Levels of Life: Photography, Imaging and the Vertical Perspective, London College of Communication,
The Photographers’ Gallery, and The Centre for the Study of the Networked Image at London South
Bank University.
Screen Walk with Sheung Yiu, The Photographer’s Gallery & Fotomuseum Winterthur (presentation link)
Research Workshop 2022: Rendering Research, Transmediale
2021 X-disciplinary Congress, Oct 2021. Atletika Gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania. (video documentation)
2019 Plat(t)form 13th Cycle Artist, Fotomuseum Winterthur
Writings
2024 ‘Spotting a Tree from a Pixel: A Creator’s Statement’,
Interfaces, 50, 2024, Re-Scale: The Art and Culture of Size and Scale <https://doi.org/10.4000/interfaces.7343>
2022 ‘Spotting A Tree From A Pixel (With Remote Sensing Researchers)’,
Journal for Artistic Research, 28, 2022 <https://doi.org/10.22501/jar.1265334>
‘One Face, Millions of Faces: Computer Vision as Hyperobject’,
Philosophy of Photography, 12.1 (2021), 71–91 <https://doi.org/10.1386/pop_00048_1>
‘Excerpts from Everything Is a Projection (2020–Present): Digital Photography and 3D Photogrammetry’
Philosophy of Photography, 12.1 (2021), 149–60 <https://doi.org/10.1386/pop_00055_7>
‘Hyperimage Index: Rendering Research on Algorithmic Image Systems’,
A Peer-Reviewed Journal About, 11.1 (2022), 66–81 <https://doi.org/10.7146/aprja.v11i1.134309>
Awards, Residencies
2024 The Most Beautiful Book in Finland 2023, Finalist, The Finnish Book Art Committee
Best Dutch Book Design 2023, Shortlisted in The Student Selection
FUTURES Photography 2024
2023 FOAM Talent 2024-2025
Falling Walls Science Summit, Art and Science Category, Winner
Eye Catcher NEXT Award, Eyecatcher Global International Film Open Pitching Forum. Hong Kong
Copenhagen Photo Festival: Rewilding, Shortlisted
2022 WMA Commission, Winner, Hong Kong
Photobook Award 2021, Winner, The Finnish Museum of Photography and The Association of Photographic Artists
The Most Beautiful Book in Finland 2021, Finalist, The Finnish Book Art Committee
2021 Notable Abstract of LABS 2021, Leonardo
2020 KASSEL DUMMY AWARD 2020, Shortlisted
The Olga and Vilho Linnamo Foundation, Scholarship
2018 Lucie Foundation Emerging Artist Scholarship Program, Shortlisted
International Summer School of Photography
2017 NTU International Photography Awards, Open Series, First Prize
Wonder Foto Day, Grand Jury Prix
2016 Pdn Objects of Desire, Fine Art or Personal, Winner
International Summer School of Photography
2015 Lucie Foundation Scholarship Program, Shortlisted
IPA Mentorship Program, Scholarship Grant
Selected Press
Yogurt Magazine on Inter(Faces) of Predictions
Ming’s magazine, review on everything is a projection, solo exhibition in Hong Kong by SamWai Lam
Kobe Ko @ Art and Culture Outreach艺鵠, review on everything is a projection, solo exhibition in Hong Kong
Helen Leung @ Art and Culture Outreach艺鵠, review on everything is a projection, solo exhibition in Hong Kong
SCMP, review on everything is a projection, solo exhibition in Hong Kong
RTHK, reportage on everything is a projection, solo exhibition in Hong Kong
C4 Journal on Everything Is A Projection: The Book
Yogurt Magazine on Ground Truth, or How To Resurrect a Tree
Kaleva on New North, New Perspectives, group exhibition in Finland
Helsingin Sanomat on Common Objects in Context, duo exhibition with Pekko Vasantola in Finland
Frame
PHROOM – Platform for Visual Culture on Ground Truth
Mobile Strategy on Ground Truth: The Book
Conceptual Projects on Ground Truth exhibited at Circulation(s) Festival, France
NO-NIIN Magazine on Sarajevo Roses and Clouds of June, duo exhibition with Samra Šabanovic in Finland
The Light Observer on Ground Truth, or How To Resurrect a Tree
Mustekala Kulttuurilehti on The Twinkling of an Eye at Foto Tallin
Aalto University on Ground Truth, or How To Resurrect a Tree
Aperture Magazine
Hant Magazin Issue#11 Re-discovering the Reality
PLASMA magazine
Phat Magazine
The Reporter
一個人的文藝復興
Rui Xiang Guan
Editions L'héliotrope
Invisible Photographer Asia
Cactus Digital
Der Greif
F-stop Magazine Interview