HsienYu Cheng TW
It Could Be You
Video installation
Exhibition : “Disobedience in the Digital Age”
From October 23 to December 13, 2026
From Wednesday to Sunday, 2pm to 7pm
Friche La Belle de Mai
La Tour, 4th floor
Marseille
Ages 16 and up
“It Could Be You,” a thought-provoking digital art installation by CHENG Hsien-Yu, explores the complex realm of digital identity and privacy. The work offers a critical analysis of the growing vulnerability of personal data in the digital age, inviting viewers to confront the subtle mechanisms of online surveillance and identity construction.
The project highlights the gradual erosion of privacy, revealing how individuals have, without realizing it, shared their most intimate information through social media and digital interactions. Using advanced machine learning and ethical hacking techniques, the work transforms posts from online forums and interactions in chat rooms into a haunting representation of a synthetic identity.
Through a meticulous process of data collection and algorithmic processing, the installation creates personal identities that blur the lines between reality and digital fiction. The work collects messages from various online platforms and uses advanced algorithms to construct synthetic portraits and personal details of striking realism. This approach goes beyond a mere technical demonstration to offer a profound reflection on the commodification of personal information.
“It Could Be You ” confronts the audience with the unsettling reality of contemporary digital surveillance. The artwork highlights how machines process personal information with increasing sophistication and ever-diminishing concern for authenticity. It reveals the algorithmic potential to create identities that are both fictional and disturbingly realistic, prompting viewers to reevaluate their digital footprint.
HsienYu Cheng
Born in 1984 in Kaohsiung. An artist and software developer, he creates works of art, software, and experimental bioelectronic devices that incorporate electronic components. Through his works, which explore human behavior, emotions, software, and the relationships between machines, he expresses his unique vision of society and the environment with humor. He won first prize at the Taipei Digital Art Award in 2014, first prize in the Digital Arts category at the Kaohsiung Art Award in 2017, the Tung Chung Art Award in 2019, the Visual Arts Prize at the 19th Taishin Arts Award in 2021, and received a nomination and an honorable mention in the S+T+ARTS category at ARS Electronica in 2023. His solo and group exhibitions are held primarily in Taiwan, Asia, and Europe.
Recently, he participated in ARS Electronica 2023, Sónar 2025 in Barcelona, as well as other exhibitions in the Netherlands, Slovenia, Norway, Italy, Germany, France, Austria, and South Korea.
