Keny Chan (b. 1997, Sichuan, China, currently based in Berlin) is an interdisciplinary artist working in music, film, and media art. Keny's work is a hazy, poetic multimedia constellation grown from a sustaining body of research — melancholy theory and philosophy are its bones; the twisted ambivalence wrought by migration, queerness, and ephemeral digital yearning are its flesh. Together they form a nebulous yet vivid dreamscape that dissolves differences in culture, language, and bodily feeling, and reassembles them into a shared language for a generation navigating loss, change, and longing from different corners of the world.
Drawing from GenZ’s nostalgia, digital eternity, asynchronous technological advancement, algorithmically manufactured desire, and queerness, Keny's practice returns to one archetypal exploration: how we cling to — and are transformed by — what we cannot let go of, against the unstoppable current of linear time.
Keny has released several singles and music videos and has exhibited in various shows. “Be OK” and “Hourglass” are sister releases with accompanying music videos that explore a world of self-sabotage, identity doubt, and the slow yet deeply moving process of healing and queer love.
“Life and Death of Hans Maximilian” is an interactive modern Tamagotchi game that plays with Chromsky’s grammar hierachy theory, exhibited at Ars Electronica 2023. Keny has also produced AI/CGI visuals for Anna Ehrenstein’s “Bitches on Their Deen (2024)”, exhibited at Kunstverein Heidelberg and the Maxim Gorki Theater. Additionally, they designed video projections for the theater play “Meine Sprache heißt Wut (2024)”, commissioned by Ballhaus Prinzenallee, Berlin.
Keny also worked as the UX designer and full-stack developer for “Tangible Climate Futures”, a Climate Change Center Berlin-funded experimental web platform designed to foster collaboration between climate scientists and artists.
Education:
2018 - 2021 B.S Computer Science at University of Bonn
2022 - Ongoing M.A Design and Computation at UdK Berlin/TU Berlin
Programming Skills: C ,C++ ,Java ,Javascript, Typescript, Python, ExpressJS, Flask, NodeJS, Angular, MySQL/PostgresSQL/NoSQL, Docker
Multimedia Tools: Adobe Kit (Photoshop, After Effects, Illustrator, etc), Blender, Unreal Engine, Maya, Davinci Resolve, Logic Pro, Ableton, Touch Designer + More