Cyril Chen (they/them, any pronouns) is an interdisciplinary artist-researcher and educator based in the Treaty 3 (Hamilton ON) and Treaty 4 (Regina SK) Territories of so-called Canada. Their experimental debut animated short film, Transfusion has been supported by CARFAC Saskatchewan, Canada Council's Emerging Artist Explore and Create program, and University of Saskatchewan's Capacitor program. They are an MA Candidate in Communication Studies and New Media at McMaster University, a recent graduate of Sheridan College's honours bachelor of animation program, and previously studied expanded media and experimental animation at NSCAD University.
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As an interdisciplinary artist and animator, I work with experimental documentary, narrative forms, installation, interactivity, and design. Recent experimental projects which I’ve worked on include Transfusion (BQFF 2023, SIFA 2023), Home of Diaspora (CBC 2022), Queens of the Qing Dynasty (Tiff 2022, Berlinale 2022, NYFF 2022, AIFF 2022), Raw (CBC 2020, Lunenburg Doc Fest 2020), and Mom’s Garden (AFH 2021, WNDX 2022, AVAF 2022).
I teach workshops in experimental animation, mixed media animation, digital art archiving, toonboom harmony techniques, and 2D + 3D practices. My work has been supported by the University of Saskatchewan through Canada Council’s Digital Art Now program, CARFAC Saskatchewan, Canada Council for the Arts, and UKAI Projects. My art and research praxis concerns transgender mental health data, auto-biography, interactivity, grief + joy narratives, critical play, comic books, and experimental animation. I’m currently working on my Master’s thesis, Transing the Narrative: Positing/Digesting Grief into Dialogic+Equitable Frameworks, at Pulse Lab McMaster.