What if we find our souls to be enmeshed in media and fictional imaginings?
That the ghosts of us reside and stir within other vessels or interfaces; our realities (re)written, performed, and embodied even though we know it all to be a story. To describe a feeling through giving it a face — to use it as a mask or a shield. What if I’m more real when I’m projecting?
Ghost in the Machine brings together Celacious666, Rainer Ciar, Fei Gao and Kalanjay Dhir, whose shared interests in avatars and embodiment were born from fiction and digital cultures. Reliving memories and emotions through roleplay — by creating costume, illustrations and fanwork, the artists manifest alternate personas and characters that give body and form to psychological landscapes. Mediated through degrees of separation, these fantasies are part escapist, part confrontation with being human. In wearing our masks as extensions of ourselves, we may all embody others and share in their lives, loves, and sorrows for a moment.
Celine Cheung (she/her) is a visual artist most intrigued by interpersonal relationships, queer coming-of-age, and secrets. She creates confessional narratives through art using available mediums such as installation, drawing, and performance. Her work is often guided by visceral responses to love and loss, while also exploring the uncanny, uncomfortable, or embarrassing. She practises on unceded Dharug land.
Celine is currently making art under the name Celacious666.
Rainer Ciar (he/they) is a multidisciplinary artist, writer, freelance illustrator, and graphic designer living and working on Dharug Country (Western Sydney). Rainer is interested in internet and pop culture, gaming, and personal experiences of gender and youth. Their work explores the tension between imagination, nostalgia, and isolation.
Fei Gao (they/he) is an artist based on unceded Dharug land. They build characters and worlds through costumes, performances, and digital environments. Inspired by toys, video games, and TV show supervillains, their practice is often playful, interactive, and performative. Fei is currently exploring how visualising internal mental landscapes to revisit traumatic events can lead to healing, connection, and transformation. Their current research focuses on Complex PTSD (C-PTSD), examining its origins and effects on individuals and communities.
Kalanjay Dhir (he/him) is an artist and musician based in Sydney on unceded Dharug land. His work, which includes sculpture and video, draws on popular culture, sci-fi, and history. Kalanjay creates near-future worlds that imagine hopeful relationships between humans and the environment. He is interested in the legacy of human consciousness on Earth and in the cosmos.
