BUFFALO, NY.- Face ID: A Surveil of Che-Wei Hsu is a lens-based artistic investigation and experience into the nature of surveillance in modern society. Through performance, photography, and installation, Hsu’s work explores the dynamics between being watched and watching, questioning how surveillance influences human behavior and identity.

Surveillance as a topic of public discourse is growing and more relevant than ever. Hsu says, “I think about the behavior that people would not do in front of other people…for example, eating a sandwich on the ladder in front of the webcam.”

Che-Wei Hsu’s playful work runs the gamut from videos of the artist laying down in the shoe section of a Marshalls, to photographs documenting strangers painting his face in public. In total, his work addresses how digital and surveillance culture are forms of social control that diminish notions of individuality in public life. Hsu’s work asks, how are you changed by knowing you are observed?

Along with the opening of Face ID: A Surveil of Che-Wei Hsu, CEPA is excited to announce the next Focus Resident, Faith Mikolajczyk. The goal of the Focus Residency is to support emerging local artists through mentorship, professional development, and active community engagement. For four months, the Resident Artist will have 24/7 access to a studio in CEPA’s Focus Gallery, where street-facing windows offer the public a view into the creative process while making the arts more accessible. The Resident Artist will also host monthly public events designed to foster connection and encourage participation within the community.

CHE-WEI HSU ARTIST STATEMENT

Face ID: A Surveil of Che-Wei Hsu is a lens-based artistic investigation of surveillance in modern society. Through performance, photography, and installation, my work explores the dynamics between being watched and watching, questioning how surveillance influences human behavior and identity.

In my art practice, I think about the types of behaviors people steer clear of in public to avoid violating social norms. For example, Lunch on the Ladder is a video of me eating a sandwich on a ladder in front of a municipal webcam.

In another performance, titled Face ID, I let people doodle on my face as the metaphor of how people surveil and isolate each other. My performance is inspired by a traditional punishment for criminals in China and Japan that results in the application of identifying tattoos on the bodies and faces of those who broke the law. As a result, these people were isolated within society, especially in public.

Through performance, face painting, and absurd interactions with surveillance cameras, I reflect on the paradox of concealment and exposure; the choice between self-surveillance and restraint, or risking criticism from those around you.

CHE-WEI HSU

Che-Wei Hsu is a Taiwan-based artist whose work explores the relationship between politics, surveillance, and people through a series of playful performances, still images, and videos. He has exhibited his work at Beholding Cell (solo exhibition), William Harris Gallery, Hirohiro Art Space, and others. In 2025, he earned his MFA from the Rochester Institute of Technology.