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Temporal Portrait 时间肖像 (2023) by Carrie Chen is showcased within the Pattern program, part of the Digital Video Wall (DVW) edition—an annual project curated by Gemma Fantacci, structured around thematic chapters to promote experimentation and dissemination in digital art. Simultaneously a group portrait and a self-portrait, *Temporal Portrait* envisions a moment where transgenerational versions of the artist’s 3D identities converge within a single spatiotemporal realm. Through a creative process that blends family archives, artificial intelligence, digital avatars, and motion capture technology, Carrie Chen interprets her aged versions via avatars existing across different timelines. These AI-generated results are then synthesized with childhood family photographs and archival images of her mother, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers to craft the final portraits. These images serve as the foundation for designing personalized avatars using 3D software. Motion capture technology was employed to interpret each figure’s movements, while facial motion capture enabled the simulation of subtle expressions, bringing each avatar to life. Projected in full scale and looped infinitely, the 24 figures of the 3D simulation reflect non-linear concepts of time and explore the artist’s existence as a Chinese-American woman—celebrating resilience and life. The group portrait condenses themes of tradition, lineage, age, and beauty into a monumental installation that roots itself in the past while projecting toward the future.
Carrie Chen is an artist, creative director, independent curator, and educator based in Los Angeles. Her practice spans CGI animation, real-time interactivity, game engine simulation, and installation art, exploring themes such as hybridity, representation, time, and memory. Splitting her time between the United States and China, her work draws inspiration from non-Western ontologies, deconstructing and reconfiguring her relationship with intercultural narratives. With a transdisciplinary approach, she is interested in what she terms the “productive Unheimlich,” engaging with the complexities of social behavior, digital bodies, culture, and technology.
Temporal Portrait 时间肖像 | Carrie Chen
METRONOM | Via Carteria 10 | 41121 Modena
January 28 – March 3, 2025 | 24/7
© Carrie Chen, Temporal Portrait, 2023, video still, courtesy the artist
