RHETT TSAI (YUXIAO CAI)
COUNTER-NARRATIVES
MARCH 19-26 2023/19-26 MARZO 2022 (ONLINE)
Introduced by/Introdotto da Matteo Bittanti
HOW DEEP IS THE DARK WATER?
machinima/digital video, color, sound, 16’ 26”, China
L’opera di Rhett Tsai (Yuxiao Cai), How Deep Is the Dark Water?, è un viaggio nella complessità della guerra attraverso il videogioco sperimentale. Sullo sfondo di un conflitto tra le due sponde dello Stretto, il giocatore segue un uomo in fuga attraverso spazi virtuali costruiti da ricordi e visioni influenzati da esperienze individuali. Scoprendo messaggi nascosti, il giocatore acquisisce una comprensione più profonda dell’impatto della guerra sulla psiche, sulle culture e sulle nazioni. Il peculiare approccio alla narrazione interattiva sfida le narrazioni tradizionali della guerra e incoraggia i giocatori a confrontarsi con la sua storia e il suo impatto multiforme. Tsa ha adattato l’innovativo video game sotto forma di machinima, estendendo ulteriormente la sua portata e il suo impatto.
The latest work by Rhett Tsai (Yuxiao Cai), How Deep Is the Dark Water?, is an immersive exploration of the complexities of war within the medium of experimental video games. Against the backdrop of a cross-strait conflict, the player is guided through a virtual world constructed from memories and visions influenced by individual experiences, by a fleeing man. By uncovering hidden messages throughout the game, the player gains a deeper understanding of how war impacts individuals, cultures, and nations. The artist’s unique approach to interactive storytelling challenges traditional narratives of war and encourages players to engage with its multifaceted history and impact. Tsai has adapted hisgroundbreaking work in machinima form, further extending its reach and impact.
L’ARTISTA
Nato a Ningde, in Cina, nel 1995, Rhett Tsai (Yuxiao Cai) è un new media artist e sviluppatore di giochi sperimentali, originario di Hangzhou, in Cina. Il suo lavoro esplora l’intersezione tra arte e tecnologia, la cybercultura cinese, le smart cities e l’ipertesto, nel contesto dell’ecosistema rizomatico e della società mediatica cinese. Grazie a un background multidisciplinare in game design, realtà virtuale, animazione digitale e suono, la sua pratica propone una riflessione critica sul panorama mediatico contemporaneo. L’artista si concentra sui videogiochi come mezzo per evocare la diaspora, il vagabondaggio e la nostalgia vissuti da individui che vivono in molteplici narrazioni storiche. Il suo videogioco How Deep Is the Dark Water? è stato finalista per la categoria “Excellence in Visual Art” all’edizione 2023 dell'Independent Game Festival. Come new media artist, le sue opere sono state presentate in numerosi festival internazionali, tra cui The Wrong Digital Art Biennale (online), Internationales Digitalkunst Festival (Germania), Utopian Dystopia Festival (India), International Intermedia Art Festival (Cina), Kortrijk Design Week (Belgio), FutureLab (Cina) e altri. Le sue opere sono state esposto anche in sedi internazionali come il China National Museum of Art, il Macao Museum of Art, il West Bund Museum (Shanghai), il Duolun Museum of Modern Art (Shanghai), il Times Art Museum (Pechino), l'OCAT Institute (Pechino) e altri ancora. Attualmente insegna nel Dipartimento di Open Media presso la China Academy of Art.
THE ARTIST
Born in Ningde, China in 1995, Rhett Tsai (Yuxiao Cai) is a new media artist and experimental game developer, hailing from Hangzhou, China. His work explores the intersection of art and technology, cyberculture based on China, smart cities, and hypertext, all within the unique context of China's Internet ecosystem and media society. Drawing on his multidisciplinary background in experimental game, virtual reality, computer animation, and sound, his work offers a critical reflection on the contemporary media landscape. The artist’s current focus is on video games as a means to evoke the diaspora, wandering, and nostalgia experienced by individuals living under multiple historical narratives. As a game developer, How Deep Is the Dark Water? was a finalist for the “Excellence in Visual Art” category at the 2023 edition of the Independent Game Festival. As a new media artist, his works have been featured in numerous international art festivals, including The Wrong Digital Art Biennale (Online), Internationales Digitalkunst Festival (Germany), Utopian Dystopia Festival (India), International Intermedia Art Festival (China), Kortrijk Design Week (Belgium), FutureLab (China), and others. His work has also been exhibited at international venues such as the China National Museum of Art, Macao Museum of Art, West Bund Museum (Shanghai), Duolun Museum of Modern Art (Shanghai), Times Art Museum (Beijing), OCAT Institute (Beijing), among others. He is currently a lecturer of Open Media Department at China Academy of Art.
HOW DEEP IS THE DARK WATER?
machinima/digital video, color, sound, 16’ 26”, China
Director, 3D Artist, Programme, Sound Artist: Rhett Tsai (Yuxiao Cai)
Proofreading: Yuri Kuzmin
Title Font Design: Mofan Zhai
Special Thanks: Chia-Lin Lee, Dongting Fu, Guangli Liu, Jiahui Wang, Lauren Moffatt, Lihao Shao, Wenjing Shen, Zhan Gao, Zhipeng Wang
