Biography
Marc Lee is a Swiss artist. He is creating network-oriented interactive art projects: interactive installations, media art, internet art, performance art, video art, augmented reality (AR) art, virtual reality (VR) art and mobile apps. He is experimenting with information and communication technologies and within his contemporary art practice, he reflects critically creative, cultural, social, ecological and political aspects. His artworks reflect the visions and limits of our information society in an intelligent manner and question this critically.
His works are exhibited in major Museums and new media art exhibitions including: ZKM Karlsruhe, New Museum New York, Transmediale Berlin, Ars Electronica Linz, HMKV Dortmund, HEK Basel, Fotomuseum Winterthur, Read_Me Festival Moscow, CeC Dehli, MoMA Shanghai, ICC Tokyo, Nam June Paik Art Center, Media Art Biennale and MMCA Seoul.
Marc Lee is lecturing, teaching and holding workshops about art and software art in many schools including the China Academy of Art (CAA) Hangzhou, Strelka Moscow, Shanghai Institute of Visual Art (SIVA), National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) Seoul and ZHdK Zurich.
He has won many prizes and honorary mentions at international festivals, including “Interaction” and “Software” Awards at Transmediale Berlin and the Social-Media-Art-Award at Phaenomenale Wolfsburg. His art projects are in private and public collections like the Swiss Confederation Federal Art Collection Bern, HEK Basel, Fotomuseum Winthertur and the ZKM Karlsruhe.
- Education
- Exhibitions
- Academic activities and Artist talks
- Awards and Honorary Mentions
- Publications
- Works in Public Collections
Education (Selection)
2000-2003, Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), Switzerland, “New Media” Department
1995-1999, Basel University of Art and Design (FHNW), Switzerland, “Installation” Department
Current and Upcoming Exhibitions
Previous Exhibitions (Selection)
Exhibition detailsAcademic activities and Artist talks (Selection)
| 2024 | |
| 2024 | Artist talk: with Marc Lee and Adrian Notz Vebikus Kunsthalle, Schaffhausen, Switzerland |
| Workshop: Synthetic Organisms, A4 Residency Art Center, Luxelakes CPI, Chengdu, China | |
| Interview with Marc Lee from Malena Souto Arena, Artlab Academy x FUTURX, Intersecciones del futuro, Buenos Aires, Argentina | |
| Marc Lee in conversation with Prof. Beat Christen (Director of the Institute of Microbiology, University of Stuttgart) moderated by Esther Fehn, Kunstbezirk Stuttgart, Germany | |
| 2023 | |
| 2023 | Workshop: Imagining a Future where AI Controls our Ecosystem, Institute for Contemporary Art (I.C.A. Yerevan), Armenia |
| Lecture: Used to Be My Home Too, Gyumri Art Week, Stepanavan Cultural and Entertainment Center, Armenia | |
| Workshop: Imagining a Future Where AI Controls our Ecosystem by Dev Aggarwal and Marc Lee, Bangalore International Centre, India | |
| 2022 | |
| 2022 | Workshop and Artist Talk Art, transmediale residency open studio day, silent green Sommerfest, Berlin, Germany |
| Two-day workshop, Art With User-Generated Content, Arab Media Lab, Marrakesh, Morocco | |
| Two-day mentoring, Driving the Human: 7 Approaches to Eco-social Renewal, hosted by acatech, Munich, Germany | |
| 2021 | |
| 2021 | Two-day workshop, Hybrid Exhibition Strategies of Work-In-Progress Works, VFG Pool, Bern, Switzerland |
| Ten-day video workshop, 24th Dresden International Summer Academy of Fine Arts, Dresden, Germany | |
| Two-day workshop, public space as an artistic environment using AR, social media and streaming technologies, Master students in Performing Public Space, Fontys in Tilburg, Netherlands | |
| Lecture: Art from User-Generated Content: A Creative Method, M.N. Sharma Architectural Society Chandigarh, Zoom (online) | |
| 2020 | |
| 2020 | Performance and Reading «MORE AND LESS» with Markus Kirchhofer, Stadtmuseum, Aarau, Switzerland |
| Discussion: on artistic practices, Games.Fights.Encounters, OnCurating Project Space, Zurich, Switzerland | |
| Lecture: Art from user-generated content. Social networks as a creative method, Pixels Fest, Yeltsin Center, Yekaterinburg, Russia | |
| Workshop: How to create installations using user generated content, Pixels Fest, Yeltsin Center, Yekaterinburg, Russia | |
| Lecture: India Unfiltered, SPACE10, New Delhi, India | |
| 2019 | |
| 2019 | Jury Member: International Immersive Works Competition, Geneva International Film Festival (GIFF), Geneva, Switzerland |
| Performance: Me Myself & I, UNArt Center, Shanghai, China | |
| Performance: Friends - AI & User-Generated content, PRE livepool - Phoenix Creative Park, Hangzhou, China | |
| Performance: Marc Lee (A/V Live), OIL Club, Shenzhen, China | |
| Artist talk: Art from User-Generated Content, NEEDS Lab, Shenzhen, China | |
| Straight-line hiking performance, Vogelklang Soundcamp #2, Fuchsfalle Black Forest, Germany | |
| Harnessing VR/AR’s Potential for Sustainable Spaces, WSIS Forum 2019, Geneva, Switzerland | |
| Jury Member: Award Media in Space and Network Culture, Festival for expanded media, 32. Stuttgarter Filmwinter, Stuttgart, Germany | |
| Five-day workshop, Nalanda Labs, Wardha, India | |
| 2018 | |
| 2018 | Two-day workshop and artist talk, Social Media Art, ZHdK Toni Areal, Zurich, Switzerland |
| Reading with Markus Kirchhofer, aushub, Literaturhaus Lenzburg and Museum Rietberg Zurich, Switzerland | |
| Lecture, Art with emerging technologies – a critical examination, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany | |
| Artist talk, Master Class, Tshimologong Precinct, Johannesburg, South Africa | |
| Lecture, Art & Technology - social networks; interactivity and virtualized spaces, 16Neto, Maputo, Mozambique | |
| Artist talk, Cairotronica 18, Palace Of Arts - Opera House Complex, Cairo, Egypt | |
| Lecture: Smart Politics or the digital market place for political disputation, The political dimension of art, Kunststiftung Erich Hauser, Rottweil, Germany | |
| Lecture, DIGITALE WELT - Analoge Erfahrung, Kompatibilitätsprüfung Digitale Medien und die Kunst, Universität Bern, Switzerland | |
| Lecture, Marc Lee - Social media and design in virtual spaces, SWB-Ortsgruppe Aargau, Kino Odeon, Brugg, Switzerland | |
| 2017 | |
| 2017 | Artist talk, Virtual Reality as artistic medium, Plumsfest, Digital Entrepreneur Space, Moscow, Russia |
| Meet the Artist – Social Media Art, Virtual trip through social networks, Kino Xenix, Zurich, Switzerland | |
| Workshop, Game Design, ZHdK Zurich, Switzerland | |
| 2016 | |
| 2016 | ART TALKS, Social Media Art, Art Department, FHNW Basel, Switzerland |
| Workshop 'Making Your Own Net Art', Cinnamon Colomboscope, Colombo, Sri Lanka | |
| Public Conversation with Sebastian Schmieg, Cinnamon Colomboscope, Colombo, Sri Lanka | |
| Workshop Artistic practices and social media, Desmond Tutu Center, Cape Town, South Africa | |
| 2015 | |
| 2015 | Lecture, Virtual trip through social networks, Strelka, Moscow, Russia |
| Kybernetik Seminar, Department of Art & Media, ZHdK Zurich, Switzerland | |
| 2014 | |
| 2014 | Symposium 'Farewell New media Art', China Academy of Art (CAA), Hangzhou, China |
| Workshop 'Art and social media', Galerie b, Stuttgart, Germany | |
| 2013 | |
| 2013 | Workshop and Curator/Artist talk, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea |
| Workshop and Presentation, Organhaus Art Space, Chongqing, China | |
| 2012 | |
| 2012 | Four site-specific works, POT, top e.V, Kassel, Germany |
| Abfall + Kunst, Department of Cultural Analysis, ZHdK Zurich, Switzerland | |
| 2011 | |
| 2011 | Media Hacking, Workshop for Students, SIVA Shanghai Institute of Visual Art, Shanghai, China |
| Rockbund Art Museum, Shanghai, China | |
| Minsheng Art Museum Shanghai, China | |
| Collecting: Discussion of collecting and preserving digital art, Haus EK, Basel, Switzerland | |
| 24. Stuttgarter Filmwinter - festival for expanded media, Stuttgart, Germany | |
| 2010 | |
| 2010 | Media Hacking, Workshop for Artists, Cultural Center, Ahmed Shawky Museum, Cairo |
| Teaching net art and hacking for 6 months at the Department Media Arte, ZHdK Zurich | |
| Test_Lab - Tools for Propaganda, V2_, Rotterdam, Netherlands | |
| 2009 | |
| 2009 | The Freedom of Art in the Digital Era, ZKM Lecture Hall, Karlsruhe, Germany |
| Srishti School of Art, Bangalore, India | |
| Carnival of e-Creativity, Sat Tal, Uttarakhand, India | |
| 2008 | |
| 2008 | Pacte Multimédia, Geneva, Switzerland |
| Querblicke, N|W FH, Department Media Art, Aarau, Switzerland | |
| Basics Festival, FH Salzburg, Department MultiMediaArt, Salzburg, Austria | |
| 2007 | |
| 2007 | Tweakfest, Zurich, Schweiz |
| Tag der offenen Tür, University of Art Zurich, Department Media Art, Zurich, Switzerland | |
| 2006 | |
| 2006 | Art Center Nabi and in the Alternative Space Loop, Seoul, Korea |
| Last Late Multi Media Show, Dock18, Zurich, Switzerland | |
| Multimedia camp (MMK), Labin, Croatia | |
| go west - Festival of Fine Arts, Toni-Areal, Zurich, Switzerland | |
| CaC & CeC, Carnival of e-Creativity, India International Center, Delhi, India | |
| Edith Ruß House for Media Art, Oldenburg, Germany | |
| Viper 06 Art Festival, Basel, Switzerland | |
| 2005 | |
| 2005 | Kunstraum Walchenturm, Zurich, Switzerland |
| pitzquit, HGK Zürich, Switzerland | |
| [plug_in] Forum for new Media, Basel, Switzerland | |
| 2004 | |
| 2004 | Viper 04 Art Festival, Basel, Switzerland |
| 2003 | |
| 2003 | Loogie.net, [plug_in] Forum for new Media, Basel, Switzerland |
| Viper 03 Art Festival, Basel, Switzerland | |
| 2002 | |
| 2002 | Transmediale.02 Festival 'Go Public!', Award Presentations, Berlin, Germany |
Awards and Honorary Mentions (Selection)
- Expanded Media Award for Network Culture, Stuttgarter Filmwinter, Germany (2024)
- Werkbeitrag Kanton Zurich, Switzerland (2022)
- Pro Helvetia Research Residency, Karachi and Lahore, Pakistan (2022)
- Transmediale Residency, Berlin, Germany (2022)
- Pax Art Award 2021 - HEK (House of Electronic Arts) (2021)
- Pro Helvetia Research Residency, New Delhi and Kolkata, India (2020)
- Shortlist of the Net-Based Art Award, Magazine Kunstbulletin and HeK, Switzerland (2018)
- Bogdanka Poznanovic Award for the best video installation, live piece, software, on 21st Videomedeja (2017)
- Shortlist of the Net-Based Art Award, Magazine Kunstbulletin and HeK, Switzerland (2017)
- Social Media Art Award, Phaenomenale, Wolfsburg, Germany (2015)
- Japan Media Arts Festival, Art Division, Jury Selection, Tokyo, Japan (2014)
- ZKM Stipend, Karlsruhe (2010)
- Pro Helvetia Residency in Bangalore, 6 month (2009)
- SuMa Award, Berlin, Germany (2008)
- Netart Award, Hamburg, Germany (2008)
- Japan Media Arts Festival, Recommendation by the Jury Review Committee (2008)
- Pacte Multimédia, Geneva, Switzerland, Recommendation by the Jury (2008)
- Viper International Award, Category 'Transposition', Basel, Switzerland (2006)
- Switch Award 2004, Nomination, Bern, Switzerland (2004)
- tpc CreaTVty award of new media, TPC Zurich, Switzerland (2003)
- Förderpreis, Award of University of Art and Design, HGK Zurich, Switzerland (2003)
- Honorary Mentions, media art festival Ars Electronica Prices, Linz, Austria (2003)
- Transmediale Award in the category 'Software', Berlin (2002)
- Transmediale Public Vote Award in the categories 'Interaction' and 'Software', Berlin, Germany (2002)
- Transmediale 'Honorary Mention' in the category 'Interaction', Berlin, Germany (2002)
- Read_Me Festival, 'Honorary Mention', Moscow, Russia (2002)
- Viper Swiss Award for 'Newcomers', Basel, Switzerland (2002)
- Europrix Student's Award, Europrix (2001)
Publications (Selection)
- A Show of Affection, Collection Constellation 1, Booklet (2024)
- ISEA2023 SYMBIOSIS, Catalogue (2023)
- Transmediale Festival 2023, Festival brochure (2023)
- Publication, UNFOLD X 2022, Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, Seoul, Exhibition brochure (2022)
- Changwon Sculpture Biennale, Book (2022)
- Earthbound: In Dialogue with Nature, Book (2022)
- Hacking Identity - Dancing Diversity, Book (2022)
- Capturing Human’s Impact on Biodiversity through Citizen Science, Swissnex San Francisco (2022)
- Swiss Media Art - Pax Art Awards, Exhibition brochure (2022)
- Galerie für Gegenwartskunst, E-Werk Freiburg, Exhibition brochure (2022)
- Art Foundation Pax, Brochure (2021)
- SEND ME AN IMAGE (2021)
- Digital Art Collection, EIGENHEIM Edition 5 (2021)
- A Case for Keeping It Random, The New York Times (2021)
- Captured in-between Dys-Utopia (2021)
- Stormy Weather. Verlag für moderne Kunst, Book (2020)
- KUNSTFORUM International, Bd. 267 Mai 2020, Art magazine (2020)
- A Ripple In The {Data} Flow, Catalogue (2020)
- LUX AETERNA - ISEA 2019 Art, Catalogue (2019)
- The Quotidian: Same but Different, Multi-Screen Installation in Public Space, Website (2019)
- Approaching Nonplace from Marc Lee, UNArt Center First Exhibition, Website (2019)
- xCoAx 2019: Proceedings of the Seventh Conference on Computation, Communication, Aesthetics and X, Book (2019)
- FILE SÃO PAULO 2019: 20 Years of FILE 20 Years of Art and Technology, Book (2019)
- Research TECHNOLOGY URBANITY, Schafhof - European Center for Art Upper Bavaria, Catalogue (2019)
- Freisinger Schafhof, Süddeutsche Zeitung (2019)
- Marc Lee: Non-Places, Annka Kultys Gallery (2019)
- Cultures of Participation: Arts, Digital Media and Cultural Institutions, Book (2019)
- Virtualities and Realities. New Experiences, Art and Ecologies in Immersive Environments, Paperback (2019)
- 32. Stuttgarter Filmwinter, Festival for expanded media, Catalogue (2019)
- The Internet of other people’s things, Book (2018)
- Faceless - Re-inventing Privacy Through Subversive Media Strategies, Book (2018)
- Medienkunst in der Schweiz/ Media Arts in Switzerland, Book (2018)
- VR Art gallery opens in Berlin, FAD Magazine (2018)
- Open Codes, ZKM Karlsruhe, Catalogue (2017)
- AESTHETICS OF CHANGE, MAK - Museum of Applied Arts (2017)
- Farewell Photography. Biennale für aktuelle Fotografie, Book (2017)
- Bubbling Universes - FILE-SÃO-PAULO-2017, Book (2017)
- DIE UNGERAHMTE WELT / THE UNFRAMED WORLD, Book (2017)
- Publication New Gameplay, Nam June Paik Art Center, Book (2017)
- Realtime Stories - 21st Century Digital Art (2017)
- 300. Stuttgarter Filmwinter, Festival for expanded media, Catalogue (2017)
- TESTING GROUNDS, Cinnamon Colomboscope, International Exhibition, Catalogue (2016)
- Update 6, New Technological Art Award, International Exhibition, Book (2016)
- Marc Lee 信息，吾栖之肤 (CN) (2016)
- Festival Images, Vevey, Book (2016)
- Interview by Moguer (CN) (2016)
- Infosphere, ZKM Karlsruhe, Catalogue (2015)
- Global Control and Censorship, ZKM Karlsruhe, Catalogue (2015)
- New media art in history by Jack-Lew 历史上有哪些“新”媒体艺术 (CN) (2016)
- Poetics and Politics of Data, HeK Basel, Book (2015)
- 18th Japan Media Arts Festival, Award-winning Works, Tokyo, Catalogue (2015)
- KUNSTFORUM INTERNATIONAL Bd. 237, Art magazine (2015)
- Inauguration, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, Book (2014)
- Chinese magazine Art Times, email interview Marc Lee (2014)
- LandEscape Art Review, November 2014 Special Issue (2014)
- Digital Brainstorming, Website (2014)
- Journal Generation i.2 - Ästhetik des Digitalen im 21. Jahrhundert (2013)
- Inter|in|venção / Inter|in|ventione, Portugal, Catalogue (2013)
- Digital Art Conservation, Preservation of Digital Art: Theory and Practice, 3 Books (2013)
- Meisterwerke der Kunst - Medienkunst; Sammelmappe (2012)
- Big News, Art World Magazine Shanghai (2012)
- gateways. Art and Networked Culture, Catalogue (2011)
- Digital Art Works, CEAAC and ZKM, 3 Books (2011)
- Was tun. Figuren des Protests. Taktiken des Widerstands, Book (2010)
- Owning Online Art - Selling and Collecting Netbased Artworks 2010, FHNW, Basel, Catalogue (2010)
- YOU_ser The Century of the Consumer - ZKM Karlsruhe, Catalogue (2009)
- Youniverse - Bienal de Arte Contemporaneo de Sevilla BIACS3, Catalogue (2008)
- Mediale Kunst Zürich. 13 Positionen (2008)
- Digital Playground 2008, Hack the City!, Book (2008)
- You_ser, ZKM Karlsruhe, Catalogue (2007)
- Netzspiele von Marc Lee, netzwerkorientiert und interaktiv seit 1999, Webseite (2007)
- 404 Object Not Found_Seoul, Catalogue (2006)
- Mapping New Territories. Schweizer Medienkunst International, Book (2005)
- Digitale Transformationen, whoiswho.de, Book (2004)
- read_me, Software Art and Cultures, Book (2004)
- Approaches to Interactivity: MetaWorx : Young Swiss Interactive, Book (2004)
- 56kTV - bastard channel magazin (2004)
- tainment: Spielformen der Bewusstseinsindustrie, RealismusStudio, NGBK, Book (2004)
- Die algorithmische Revolution, ZKM Karlsruhe, Catalogue (2004)
Works in Public Collections
- Screencast, MOCA Busan Collection, Busan, Korea (2022)
- Pic-me V2 and Swiss Unfilterd Screencast, Art Foundation Pax, Basel, Switzerland (2021)
- 10.000 Moving Cities AR (Augmented Reality), Art collection in the sculpture garden Schafhof - European Center for Art Upper Bavaria, Freising, Germany (2020)
- Pic-me Screencast, HeK Collection, Basel, Switzerland (2017)
- Tracenoizer, HeK Collection, Basel, Switzerland (2017)
- Pic-me, ZKM Collection, Karlsruhe, Germany (2016)
- The Show Must Go On. Social Media Fights for the Presidency!, Fotomuseum Winterthur Collection, Switzerland (2016)
- SECURITY FIRST, ZKM Collection, Karlsruhe, Germany (2016)
- TV Bot 2.0, property of the Swiss Confederation, Federal Art Collection Bern, permanent loan to HeK, Schweiz (2014)
- TV-Bot, Screencast, Ricola Collection, Switzerland (2011)
- Breaking The News - Be a News-Jockey, ZKM Collection, Karlsruhe, Germany (2010)