ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Lois He: Interactive XR Art Blending Neuroscience and Surrealism

artist · 2026-05-13

Lois He, a Chinese-born New York-based artist, creates interactive XR installations that merge art, technology, and neuroscience. Her work, including the AI-driven VR piece 'Rising River,' invites participants to navigate inner landscapes through voice interactions. 'Neural Harmony,' developed with NYU Neuroscience Institute and Buzsáki Lab, maps brainwaves to linguistic structures. 'The Endless Garden,' a collaboration with the Museo Dalí, allowed visitors to generate 'Dream Objects' via prompts in a shared surrealist environment. 'The Silent Carnival,' presented at the Genius Loci Weimar Festival for Goethe's 250th anniversary in Weimar, lets audiences decide Gretchen's fate via QR code. He also created XR performances 'The Morph' and 'The Play,' using motion capture and digital avatars to explore identity between physical and virtual spaces.

Key facts

  • Lois He is a Chinese-born artist based in New York.
  • Her work spans interactive installations, XR (virtual and mixed reality), and AI-driven experiences.
  • 'Rising River' is an AI-guided VR experience where participants navigate a boat through darkness and encounter a 'shadow self'.
  • 'Neural Harmony' was created in collaboration with NYU Neuroscience Institute and Buzsáki Lab.
  • 'The Endless Garden' was developed with the Museo Dalí and was site-specific to the exhibition 'Alberto Giacometti & Salvador Dalí: Through & Beyond Surrealism'.
  • 'The Silent Carnival' was presented at the Genius Loci Weimar Festival for the 250th anniversary of Goethe's arrival in Weimar.
  • 'The Morph' and 'The Play' are XR performances combining motion capture, digital avatars, and audience interaction.
  • He explores how environment, perception, and technology shape narrative and identity.

Entities

Artists

  • Lois He
  • Qiuyao He
  • Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
  • Salvador Dalí
  • Alberto Giacometti

Institutions

  • NYU Neuroscience Institute
  • Buzsáki Lab
  • Museo Dalí
  • Genius Loci Weimar Festival

Locations

  • New York
  • United States
  • China
  • Weimar
  • Germany

Sources