VINCI

h2-logo Art Tracks Overview

Futures Unbound: Visualizing Tech, Culture, and Connection in an AI-and Robot-Driven World—a timely exploration of how emerging technologies—including AGI agents, collaborative robots, NeRF, AI-driven digital twins, AR/VR spatial computing, and generative AI—are reshaping artistic practice, creative communities, and global creative landscapes. This theme centers on visual communication as a unifying force: leveraging cutting-edge AI and robot technologies to redefine creativity, foster cross-cultural dialogue, and support the preservation and reinterpretation of cultural and heritage assets (tangible sites, artifacts, traditional crafts, oral histories), while navigating the dynamic interplay between human ingenuity and machine intelligence (AI and robots alike). It upholds VINCI’s core niche in visual information communication, interaction design, and information aesthetics, and ties global art-tech innovation to Hangzhou—China’s digital hub, where VINCI 2026 will be hosted.

Below are concise track guidelines for Art Papers, Art Gallery, and Media Gallery submissions.

h2-logo Art Paper Track

The Art Paper Track focuses on academic research at the intersection of visual information communication, art, and technology. Welcomes rigorous, original research exploring how visual media, interactive systems, and emerging technologies (e.g., generative AI, XR, bio-digital tools) shape information dissemination, aesthetic expression, and critical discourse. Submissions should balance technical innovation, theoretical depth, and practical relevance to VINCI’s core mission.

Example Topics of the Art Paper Track include:

  • LLM-Driven Dynamic Data Storytelling: Frameworks for human-AI co-created visual narratives that adapt to audience cognitive needs
  • Explainable AI (XAI) Visualization: Transparent visual representations of algorithm decision paths and bias for ethical information communication
  • Bio-Signal Information Visualization: Translating plant respiration, bee colony behavior, or human biometrics into accessible visual narratives for environmental advocacy
  • XR Counter-Cartography: Designing immersive information maps to visualize hidden Indigenous histories or refugee migration routes
  • NeRF/Diffusion Model-Powered Info-Visualization: Technical research on neural rendering for real-time, interactive 3D data narratives
  • AI Co-Creation Authorship: Theoretical studies on intellectual property and data provenance in human-AI collaborative visual media
  • Bio-Digital Ethics in Visualization: Critical research on data collection consent and representation of vulnerable ecological or biological data

h2-logo Art Gallery Track

The Art Gallery Track showcases finished, concept-driven artworks exploring visual information communication through artistic expression. Works should embody VINCI 2026’s core theme and draw from 2025–2026 trends (AI symbiosis, bio-digital hybridity, XR counter-narratives). Prioritizes works that merge aesthetic innovation with critical engagement, balancing artistic expression with VINCI’s focus on information communication.

The topics of the Art Gallery Track include:

  • In-Between Data Landscapes: Mixed-media installations merging physical materials (textiles, 3D prints) with digital data projections to represent climate change or urban transition
  • Digital Doppelgänger Portraits: Interactive installations visualizing users’ digital identity data (social media activity, online habits) as dynamic, evolving artworks
  • Living Data Installations: Algae tanks or mycelium-based works where organic growth is controlled by environmental data to create self-evolving visualizations
  • Counter-Narrative Fabric Maps: Textile-based cartography created with marginalized communities to visualize hidden histories
  • Post-Truth Visual Archives: Curated collections of AI-generated vs. factual data visualizations, inviting viewers to critique visual media’s role in shaping perception
  • AI Symbiotic Artworks: Collaborative pieces where human artists and AI agents co-create visual narratives about data ethics

h2-logo Media Gallery Track

The Media Gallery Track focuses on interactive tech demos, prototypes, and functional media tools that advance visual information communication. Unlike the Art Gallery (prioritizing finished artworks), this track highlights practical, experimental tools bridging art, technology, and usability. Submissions should demonstrate innovation in enhancing accessible, ethical information sharing.

The topics of the Media Gallery Track include:

  • AI Co-Creation Info-Tools: Open-source software that lets non-experts co-design ethical data visualizations with AI, balancing creativity and factual accuracy
  • AR Counter-Map Demos: Mobile AR apps that overlay marginalized historical narratives onto physical maps
  • Bio-Signal Interactive Demos: Wearable sensors that translate human/ecological biometrics into real-time visual experiences
  • XAI Transparency Demos: AR interfaces that overlay algorithm bias heatmaps on real-time news or social media data visualizations
  • Digital Twin Micro-Demos: Tabletop-scale digital twin systems that visualize local community data for public engagement
  • Accessible XR Info-Kits: Low-cost VR demos for education, letting students explore counter-narrative maps with inclusive features

h2-logo Submission Types and Page Limits

Art Papers:

The art papers call is open-theme, and this year, we have three types in the Art Papers: full papers, short papers and posters. The page limits are strict so please ensure that you meet the requirements:

  • Full Papers: max. 8 pages (including references!)
  • Short Papers: max. 4 pages + 1 extra page which contains ONLY references
  • Posters: max. 2 pages (including references!)

Art and Media Galleries:

  • Media Demos: It seeks submissions from media creators, producers, researchers, developers, startups, universities, institutes, companies, and others who can demonstrate novel experiences, productions, and applications (e.g., Metaverse, Digital Twin, Digital Human, AI Video, etc.).
  • Artworks: It welcomes all forms and formats, exploring new artistic expression, creativity, and creation possibilities in any 2-dimensional form suitable for display on a digital screen or canvas. We also encourage submissions of innovative AIGC artworks.

Submissions for Media Demos and Artworks should include up to 2 pages of poster/description/artist's statement. Works should have been completed within the last 5 years (in or after 2021) and be ready for installation. While we don't restrict previously exhibited work, accompanying materials should not have been published or accepted for publication elsewhere.

h2-logo General Submission Information

For deadlines, formatting, CMT submission, ACM Open Access fees, publication information, and general policies, please see General Submission Information.