Ian Cheng

MoMA PS1 will present Ian Cheng’s (b. 1984) first U.S. museum solo presentation, featuring the artist’s complete Emissary trilogy (2015-2017), a series of three live simulation video works dedicated to the history of cognitive evolution. These works ask us to imagine technology not as a subordinate reflection of our own minds, but as a tool to model a non-anthropomorphic vision of history and consciousness. Using an engine for developing video games, Emissary is made up of open-ended animations with no fixed outcome or narrative—a format Cheng calls live simulation. The trilogy was recently acquired by The Museum of Modern Art.

In conjunction with the exhibition, the artist will present a Modern Monday at The Museum of Modern Art on Monday, April 24th at 7pm to further explicate and expand upon his work.

Organized by Peter Eleey, Chief Curator, MoMA PS1; with Jocelyn Miller, Curatorial Associate, MoMA PS1.