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Artist and open-source AI engineer

Mingde "MT" Zeng

Mingde "MT" Zeng is a Chinese-Canadian interdisciplinary artist based in Toronto and Hangzhou. Self-taught as an artist, he draws on his background in computational mathematics, AI engineering, and street photography to observe his surroundings and critique the systems he is deeply involved in building and experimenting with. His current practice centres on AI and agentic systems, spanning generative imagery, interactive environments, installation, sound, and moving image.

About

His works often begin with an image, a phrase, or an encounter from everyday life. These starting points develop through generation, selection, composition, and the building and modification of systems. Generated material can suggest what to make next and lead a work into forms not fully specified at the outset. Some works take shape as photographs, recordings, and installations; others continue to unfold through the activity of AI agents and the participation of an audience. Commentary and interpretation can themselves become material within the work. His name, likeness, and voice frequently enter these processes, connecting experiments with AI to questions of personal experience and self-representation.

Photography informs his attention to framing, sequence, and display, while open-source engineering makes building and modifying systems part of his artistic process. He develops the visual and sonic character of his works alongside their behaviour, attending to how they look, sound, and unfold over time.

Education

2022: B.Math., Honours Computational Mathematics, University of Waterloo

Publications

2026: "Authorship in Generative Image Art: A Perspective from Distributed Cognition and Agent Harnesses," Chinese Photography, December 2026
2026: "Semanticization of Photography: Algorithmic Visibility, Query-Based Seeing, and the Perceptual Boundaries of Generated Images," Chinese Photography, June 2026

Exhibitions

2027 (forthcoming): 200 Years of Echoes: From Giroux to the iPhone, Yin Studio Camera Collection ExhibitionYin Studio, Hangzhou, ChinaPresenting Speaking for the Collection, an exhibition-specific interactive AI installation. Part of the French Ministry of Culture’s Bicentennial of Photography programme.
Oct 2024: 500px Visual FestChina World Art Museum, Millennium Monument, Beijing, ChinaExhibition documentation.
May 2024: Existential Frames: A Journey Through ImagesCONTACT Photography Festival, The Heintzman House, Toronto, Canada — Group ExhibitionPresented as part of the 2024 CONTACT Photography Festival.
July 2023: The Reason We Live HereSan Sheng Art Space, Markham, Ontario — Group ExhibitionGroup exhibition documentation.
April 2023: Wake UpWhite Coffee, Suzhou, China — Group ExhibitionGroup exhibition.

Artist Talks and Professional Activity

Feb 2025: Artist Talk, "Who Creates? Rethinking the Creative Process with AI," Ant Art
Jan 2025: Panel Discussion, "The Intersection of AI and Creativity," Mars Commune
2024: Juror, The 3rd Xiaohuoqiu Documentary Photography Award

Zines

2026: The Honest Photographer, Devour: Art & Lit Canada, Issue 024: Special AI Edition, pp. 92–99
2023: Jiexiangzhi Annual, Group Zine
2023: Popcan Vol. 1: Wake Up, Group Zine

Selected Awards

2024: 500px Best 10 Grand Award
2023: 2nd Place, Event / Social Cause, International Photography Awards
2023: 3rd Place, Editorial / Press, Political, International Photography Awards
2023: Platinum Winner, Editorial Photography, MUSE Photography Awards
2023: Gold Winner, Black & White Event Photography, MUSE Photography Awards
2023: Honorable Mention, Photojournalism / Story, Neutral Density Awards

Contact

Email: mt@mt-zeng.com
Instagram: @mt_zeng
GitHub: MatthewZMD