Philadelphia, PA – The groundbreaking exhibition “On the Critical Point: Wanderlust and Nostalgia in the New Age” opened at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (Penn Museum).
The exhibition, a collaborative effort between New York-based VSDesign, DesignPhiladelphia, and ALT Alliance, seeks to evoke contemplation and connection, blending humanistic traditions with an increasingly post-human world. Opened in November this year, this innovative showcase features works by internationally renowned contemporary Artist Hao Ding alongside other distinguished artists, such as Sheryl Oring, Hongtao Sun, and Chenlin Cai.
Hao Ding, a talented artist who has been creating sci-fi fantasy art for years and who has left her mark on multiple famous video game titles, is expected to play a central role in the exhibition. She will bring her unique perspective on expressing the nostalgia every traveler feels through a Space opera-style virtual journey.
The exhibition features her work: “ The Long Night”, created through VR technology and various 3D programs (Zbrush, Blender, Adobe Medium, After Effect). “The Long Night” is an experimental animation that pictures such a scene: A traveler lands on an alien planet under the glow of a colossal sun shaped like an iridescent moth wing. The sun’s shifting light casts surreal hues—lavender, turquoise, and gold—across the bioluminescent landscape, creating a mesmerizing, otherworldly scene.
The traveler’s gaze is drawn to the sun, evoking daydreams of her native mythology. She envisions a revered sword maiden and vibrant flowers from her homeland’s legends. These visions blend with the alien beauty around her, conjuring images of sacred ceremonies and lush, flower-filled meadows. As the sun sets, casting long, shifting shadows, the traveler stands in contemplative silence, bridging her ancient beliefs with the awe-inspiring reality of the alien landscape.
To create this piece, Hao Ding used VR to create a virtual space as a base, exported them out, and used sculpting programs like Zbrush to create the alien terrain and the lady’s figure. She combined the assets in Blender to make animation and did the final cut and editing in Adobe After Effect.
Both science fiction and Mesopotamian mythology inspire this piece. The alien terrain the traveler sets foot on is an abstract re-imagination of a chimera of various alien planets that exist both in the known extraterrestrial expedition and imaginary alien planets in fiction. The lady with a sword is inspired by Goddess Ereshkigal, “Lady of the Great Earth,” symbolizing both humans’ true origin and the home culture of this particular traveler. The lady with a sword is the source of her courage, which guides her through an adventure across lightyears in space.
It’s a story about someone who ventures out in pursuit of a new future while coming to terms with her own truth, which fits right with the theme of this exhibition: Wanderlust and Nostalgia in the New Age.
With this virtual form of exotic science-fiction fantasy, Hao manages to shine a different color of light onto the exhibition: a perspective that focuses on technology and precision in art creation, along with the wildest space saga that sparks romantic ambition in one’s heart—a blend of rationality and passion.
Hao has captivated audiences by blending futuristic landscapes with surreal, dreamlike details. Her work transports viewers to otherworldly realms, evoking a sense of wonder and limitless possibility. With innovative use of digital tools, she creates scenes that feel alien and intensely real, inviting audiences to imagine alternate futures and explore untapped depths of creativity. She has hoped to use her creation and influence to guide the audience to express and embrace their unique visions, just like the theme of this exhibition: Explore the wanderlust with the truth of oneself in the heart.
Given her impressive credentials, her participation is particularly significant. She currently serves as the concept artist of Activision Blizzard (Microsoft). She is an important development member who does the visual design on multiple games, including Call of Duty titles (Modern Warfare and Black Ops series) and has published multiple personal projects.
Throughout her art career, Hao Ding has received numerous prestigious awards. Notably, she was awarded the Rookie Concept Award, an honor bestowed upon artists with excellent skills in-game art. Additionally, the titles she worked on have received multiple game awards, such as BAFTA Awards, Golden Trailer Awards, The Game Awards, etc., and she also excels at media reviews and sales results, recognizing her pioneering work in game art.
Her artistic practice, which explores and innovatively expresses science fiction art in virtual form, has earned wide recognition. Her works are collected by numerous prestigious institutions internationally, including the Sasse Museum of Art, the London Subway Exhibition, and Luminous Eye Art Space in the United States, Berlin, the United Kingdom, China, and Greece.
The Penn Museum’s rich history, dating back to 188,7, provides a fitting backdrop for this exploration of time and culture. The museum’s expansive galleries, spanning over 300,000 square feet and welcoming more than 180,000 visitors annually, offer a unique context for her works.
As the art world grapples with questions of identity, tradition, and progress, this exhibition at the Penn Museum is a crucial platform for exploration and understanding. With her innovative practice at the forefront, “The Long Night” promises to be a thought-provoking journey through the landscapes of artistic innovation.
Published by Charlie N.
