Meet Zhijin Hu | Technology Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Zhijin Hu and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Zhijin, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
For me, finding a balance between work and life is a continuous journey. At different stages of my life, I have faced various decisions. The relentless effort during my four years at university led to temporary burnout. In such times, I would calm down and consult my inner self, questioning if I needed some temporary respite. Thus, I decided to take a year off after graduating to genuinely separate myself from my studies and career. I spent my free time exploring new interests or picking up hobbies that I had neglected due to busy school schedules. The most important thing was to live in the present, feel my existence, and find what my heart truly desires.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m fascinated by how fast technology evolves, especially in artificial intelligence and machine learning. This evolution not only fuels my curiosity but also inspires me to imagine future possibilities. My research is driven by the societal impacts of technological advancements, which I can see the society changes through learning technology. By diving into Arts and Technology studies, experimenting with blockchain, Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), and AI collaborations, I’ve explored the dynamic between humans and technology. These investigations aim to uncover the reality within virtual spaces, challenging traditional views and inviting audiences to see art and technology from a new perspective. Ultimately, my work integrates advanced technologies to offer audiences deep, meaningful experiences and to rethink how we interact with art in the digital age.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Whenever someone visits Chicago, my top recommendation is always the Art Institute of Chicago. There, through the museum’s exhibits, you can clearly see how art has evolved step by step to its present form. Additionally, taking a walk along the Chicago lakefront is a great option when the weather is nice. It’s a perfect place to calm down—you can sit by the shore, listening to the waves and the birds. Walking along the lakefront, you can also visit my favorite places, the Shedd Aquarium and the Field Museum, which have rich and fascinating collections.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Nothing inspire me more than reading books. My thoughts revolve around the significance of ‘meaning’ and ‘intrinsic logic.’ The book ‘Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind’ has been instrumental in shaping my research focus. It discusses how Homo sapiens, through a shared belief in certain stories, could collaborate on a massive scale, despite not knowing each other. This might sound absurd, but in reality, all large-scale human cooperation throughout history has been based on such collective, imagined stories. This leads me to ponder deeply whether human societies have always existed under a sort of fictional umbrella, questioning the very essence of humanity. To seek answers, I’ve adopted an observer’s perspective to scrutinize our society.
Additionally, the rise of artificial intelligence in the post-pandemic era has caught my attention as it gradually reshapes our world. This spurred me to delve deeper into how technology affects our perception of reality. My research is grounded in the notion that reality is constructed from countless concepts, making it somewhat virtual. With the advent of technology, the boundary between the real and the virtual has become even more blurred.

Website: https://www.anniehuzhijin.com/portfolio

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annie_huu_hello/