Artist Interview: UGLYKIKI

UGLYKIKI is a Taiwanese digital media artist known for her thought-provoking and metaphysical artworks. Currently based in LA, she writes about, curates, and creates digital art.

UGLYKIKI's distinctive focus on experimental video art, which explores the transcendence of human physicality, has led to its recognition in esteemed international exhibitions. She also passionately advocates for creating an inclusive metaverse that integrates multicultural experiences through XR and online exhibitions.

We asked Kiki about her art, creative process, and inspirations.

Can you tell us about your background as a digital artist? How did you get started in this field?

Before pursuing my MFA in Digital Media Art at San Jose State University, I didn't have a formal art education; however, art has been my biggest passion since childhood. Growing up in a rural area in Taiwan, I used to draw fantasy creatures inspired by nature in textbooks. Later, I studied BA in communication at National Chung Cheng University, where I specialized in production design for films and TV shows and learned graphic design and digital illustration in around 2014. Since then, more and more digital creation tools have become accessible to the general public and I figured out that mixing media and different tools boost me more creativities. These diverse experiences inspired me to approach digital art and combine multimedia, including video art, experimental 3D art, illustration, and narrative concepts in my artistic practices.

What inspires your art? Are there any particular themes or subjects that you enjoy exploring through your artwork?

I suffered from depression during my early 20s, and since then, art has become a profound healing tool for me. During that dark period, I developed a unique style featuring surreal creatures whose bodies are embedded with intricate elements that may seem unrelated. Similar to creating a Chimera, I combine two polarities into one to represent the eagerness to soothe my anxious self and unstable emotions.

I often depict distorted human figures and the separation of organs from the body in my digital artworks. By twisting, disorienting, and fragmenting the original forms of humans, animals, and machines, I aim to break the boundaries and fixed definitions of things, exploring the transcendence of physicality.

*Digital Illustration Art by UGLYKIKI: Creating Eden*

Can you tell us about some of your favorite pieces or a past or upcoming project? What makes them special to you?

Canon, the one-minute video art created in 2019, is one of my favorites. It was when I began practicing Yoga daily and noticed significant changes in both my physical body and mental health. In Canon, I sculpted a dancing body inside a ghostly head using open-source 3D software, Blender. I then synchronized my body movements with the 3D object using a Kinect sensor. These works embody the spirit of physical practices designed to enhance the well-being of individuals, such as Qigong and Yoga.

Similar to the original definition in music, a "Canon is a contrapuntal (counterpoint-based) compositional technique that employs a melody with one or more imitations of the melody played during a given duration." The Canon in this context represents the changing synchronization of the human body's inner mind and outer appearance. It also implies the invisible coordination between computer graphics and the input data from human determination. Infusing my soul into a computer-generated object, Canon becomes a sublime expression of the collaboration between humans and machines.

Can you tell us about the art exhibitions you curate and design, how connected would you say curation is to your art?

I developed an interest in virtual exhibitions during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. At that time, artists didn’t have access to galleries or other exhibition spaces, so I sought alternative ways to present my art. Fortunately, my DMA classmate, Don Hanson, founded New Art City, a virtual art gallery for new media art, which inspired me to create artwork for the web-browser art viewing experience.

Although the internet and social media bring people together, I still believe there's room for improvement. For instance, I rarely find a good reflective and meditative space on current social platforms. Instead of feeling supported, I often feel overwhelmed and need more digital detox. Unlike most platforms which promote the infinite flow of new experiences and ideas, I prefer to create a space for people to calmly reflect on their own journeys and grow from their inner strength.

*Digital art by UGLYKIKI: A Self-Care Note*

Through the process of curating virtual exhibitions like Generation Bored Stiff and immeterial, I was fortunate to work with artists who don't have prior experience in 3D art or showing their artworks in virtual space. This gave me the opportunity to deliver workshops and assist them in exploring many ways to present their physical artworks, allowing me to truly connect with my artistic peers and learn techniques of mixing physical objects with the digital worlds.

This theme of finding a safe place in the virtual world is not only in exhibitions I have curated but also in my first virtual sound installation work - Wuji (2019), where viewers navigate through a city constructed by human forms and look up at the central tower but never have the chance to fly to reach the sky, much like ancestors who built the tower of Babel but failed due to God's punishment. Nowadays, differences and barriers among people have extended to national, racial, and gender issues. In Wuji, a more united world can be imagined. When physical forms and differences between individuals no longer limit us, a pure existence that presents the concept of infinity emerges.

*Digital Illustration Art by UGLYKIKI: Saturn Return*

You also blog about digital art — what kind of an impact do you think reflecting on your practice has on your work?

Since my teaching experience at San Jose State University, documenting the process of my artwork and writing tutorials has been the best way for me to reflect on what I've learned and find solutions for improvements.

Drawing is a very intuitive way of creating art—I just pick up a pen and a sketchbook, and then ta-da! However, digital tools and computer software bring more complexity and sometimes cause confusion. If you don’t use this software every day, you will soon forget how to use them. I have to admit that I sometimes struggle to find the right buttons for just making a simple visual effect! Thus, a note, a blog, or a tutorial are helpful for me to recall the learning process and save more mental energy for concept development.

What is an event that you consider a milestone in your digital art career?

In September 2022, I successfully obtained an O-1 visa, which is granted to individuals with extraordinary ability or achievement, allowing me to stay and work in the USA for my art legally. Before that, I used to struggle with impostor syndrome, doubting the quality of my art and questioning whether I truly deserved to be called an artist. Obtaining an O-1 visa has been a great relief, giving me more confidence in creating art.

Are there any artists or creative influences that have had a significant impact on your work? How have they shaped your artistic style or approach?

This universe, and Earth, are the best artists and teachers. By simply observing the world, we can learn more than from textbooks. However, regarding human artists, Wangechi Mutu is definitely on the list. I admire Wangechi Mutu for bringing her own culture into the contemporary art world and reshaping narratives of womanhood from art history through the integration of history, mythology, literature, and science fiction. I am especially captivated by Hide 'n' Seek, Kill or Speak (2004), a painting in which Wangechi Mutu illustrates a half-woman, half-machine Nugva—a mermaid according to African Folklore. She uses mixed media in this painting and evokes an organic yet haunting, mystical tone that decreases the boundaries of humans, cyborgs, and mystical creatures. This resonates with something I often explore in my art—the blurring of boundaries, and how to extract freedom from rigid identity.

*UGLYKIKI’s inspirations: TitleHide 'n' Seek, Kill or Speak, 2004 by Wangechi Mutu. Credits: Studio Museum in Harlem; Museum purchase made possible by a gift from Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn*

What is a fun fact about you?

Recently, I have been fascinated with making homemade oat milk using blenders!

What would we most probably find you doing if not creating art?

I always wanted to be a pianist when I was a child. Besides visual arts, music plays an important role in my life. I sang in the children's choir in elementary school and later learned piano for six years and flute for two years before high school. One of my favorite school projects during college in Taiwan was curating a rock music festival. Now, I continue to practice the piano every day and compose a few intro music pieces for my podcast. While I identify myself as a digital artist, you'll likely find me playing and listening to music whenever I'm not creating art.

*Digital AI Art by UGLYKIKI: Don’t fall into the technology trap!*

How do you think XR will expand in the future of art?

I often joke that viewing AR content is akin to capturing ghosts, as its elements remain invisible in the physical world. Conversely, engaging with VR content can transport us to uncharted worlds, resembling an ethereal journey in a ghost's realm. XR extends reality, broadening our perception of the world and enhancing our tolerance for the unknown.

While I don’t think XR will replace traditional art mediums, it does bridge a gap between the audience and the creator. Traditional media, like visual art, music, and movies, often lacks interactivity. In these forms, the audience passively receives visuals and audio from limited angles defined by the creators, without the chance to change the piece once it's completed. However, I find interactive XR content particularly captivating because interaction deepens our understanding of artworks. In this realm, we are not merely viewers but learn to be co-creators, being embodied in the story and reshaping artworks through our interactions.

My main concern is that not everyone can easily access VR due to the cost of VR headsets and the physical discomfort that comes with it, such as motion sickness and dizziness when experiencing VR artwork. In contrast, AR can be accessible through mobile phones, seems to be a more inclusive medium for the general public, and I believe it can truly connect the physical and digital worlds.