Alice Hu 胡晓姝

Alice Hu Xiaoshu is a Shanghai-born Deaf multidisciplinary artist, visual performance artist, choreographer, arts producer, sign language educator and accessibility advocate. Her artistic practice spans theatre, film, visual performance and cultural production, exploring the intersections of sign language, movement, visual storytelling and inclusive artistic expression.
Driven by her passion for the arts, Alice moved to Vienna, Austria, where she completed four years of study and earned a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Applied Arts Vienna. She subsequently lived and worked in Austria for more than a decade, developing an international artistic practice shaped by cross-cultural exchange and collaboration.
Alice has participated in a diverse range of film, theatre and live performance productions across China and Europe. Her selected credits include the films Kafka, Kiffer und Chaoten and Unerhört; Renault’s Passion for Music commercial; Midnight Movie; Ganymed in Love at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna; Sign Language Storm at brut Wien; The Confused Wife at Kosmos Theater; and Membrane at Odeon in Vienna. In 2026, she participated in a sign-language performance project associated with the Eurovision Song Contest and Wiener Festwochen in Vienna.
Beyond her artistic practice, Alice has contributed to disability inclusion, theatre education and cultural accessibility. She previously worked as a disability talent adviser at myAbility, an Austrian social enterprise, supporting inclusive programmes and disability awareness training. She also worked in theatre education with Deaf teenagers at Vienna’s Burgtheater, facilitating sign language and performance workshops that brought Deaf and hearing participants together. In addition, she volunteered in social media and visual communications for the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD).
Alice is the founder and creative director of Accessivation, a Deaf-led creative platform based in Shanghai that brings Deaf and hearing artists, producers and collaborators together to explore accessible arts, creative innovation and inclusive cultural experiences. She has co-created a range of artistic works with renowned Deaf artists from different countries, including Botanical Sign Night Shanghai, the Visual Language workshop, The Golden Lotus, Diversity After Dark, Echoes of Deaf History and Midnight Movie, among others.
She also initiated Connect+ Festival of Inclusive Culture, an international inclusive arts and culture festival in Shanghai, bringing people together through artistic expression, accessibility and cross-cultural exchange. In addition, she created BassBath, Accessivation’s Deaf-friendly clubbing project, combining music, vibration technology, visual experiences and inclusive dance-floor culture to bring Deaf and hearing audiences together. With its distinctive approach to accessible nightlife, BassBath aims to reach audiences across cities and borders.
Her international collaborations include the 2022 Diverse as We Are (DAWA) China International Festival of Inclusive Culture. She has also contributed to international Deaf arts, film and cultural events, including the Deaf Nation Arts and Culture Festival, the Shanghai International Deaf Film Festival and Clin d’Oeil in Reims, France.
As a workshop facilitator, Alice developed Explore the Silent World and Build a Bridge of Communication, an initiative encouraging Deaf and hearing participants to explore sign language, visual expression and alternative forms of communication. Her work promotes Deaf cultural representation, accessibility and meaningful collaboration across communities.
Alice was nominated for the Her Abilities Award in the Arts, Culture and Sports category in 2019 and was invited as a keynote speaker at the 4th UK-China Disability Arts Forum. Her artistic practice and contributions have been featured in publications and media platforms including ArtReview, Marie Claire and V China. Through her work and media appearances, she continues to raise awareness of Deaf culture, accessibility and inclusive arts. Her work has also been featured in initiatives recognising influential Deaf women.
As an artist and creative leader, Alice believes that art can build connections beyond spoken language. She continues to develop international collaborations, champion Deaf-led artistic practice and integrate accessibility into cultural production, working towards a more inclusive and diverse future for the arts.