XIAO WANG
XIAO WANG
Xiao Wang is a Chinese painter who lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. He studied at the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland where he received his BFA degree in Painting and Printmaking. He continued his study at the San Francisco Art Institute and earned his MFA degree in Painting. Wang has shown internationally in Europe and the United States. His work has been featured in publications such as Juxtapoz Magazine, Hi-Fructose Magazine, Create Magazine, and New American Paintings. Wang has also attended artist residency programs at MASS MoCA (MA), the Vermont Studio Center (VT), and Root Division (CA).
CAN YOU INTRODUCE YOUR PRACTICE AND TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR PROCESS AND TECHNIQUE?
I am an oil painter working in a realistic style. I paint figures, often surrounded and swallowed by foliage and flora. My process usually begins with digital collages using the source materials that I have collected over the years. I also do photoshoots for specific poses as needed. Once the idea is set, the painting process is fairly straight forward.
IN YOUR MOST RECENT SOLO SHOW 'HYPERFOLIAGE' AT THE JAVA PROJECT, BROOKLYN, YOU EXPLORED THE TRADITION OF ROMANTICISM AND THE DYNAMICS BETWEEN LANDSCAPE, POWER AND EXPRESSION. WHERE WOULD YOU SAY THE INSPIRATION FOR THESE SUBJECTS STEMMED FROM?
As a city person who’s fascinated by nature, I find that Romanticism and its view on nature reveals a lot about politics and philosophies. A romanticized imagery of nature is never really about nature itself, but about processing nature into something useful to us, such as consumerism, nationalism, and colonialism. My intent is to create a format of landscape that speaks to the history of Romanticism while being critical of it.
THE SYMBOLIST MOVEMENT AND MAGICAL REALISM ARE AT THE CORE OF YOUR WORK. CAN YOU SPEAK A BIT ABOUT HOW YOUR WORK REFERENCES AND EXPLORES CERTAIN VISUAL AND CONCEPTUAL ELEMENTS FROM THESE GENRES?
Both The Symbolist Movement and Magical Realism are born under society that was going through massive change. The works that are done during these times often capture a unique feeling of uncertainty. I am seeing parallels between these times in history and today’s world, so in my own work I reference some of their visual language to help me capture my own feeling of uncertainty and anxiety.
WHAT HAS SHAPED AND INFLUENCED YOUR COLOR COMBINATION CHOICES?
I wanted my foliage to look as artificial and removed from nature as possible, then after some time the palette naturally evolved into this.
WHICH EXHIBITION THAT YOU HAVE VISITED HAS HAD THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON YOUR PRACTICE?
It’s hard to say which ONE exhibition influenced me the most, I tend to learn a bit from every show that I have enjoyed. But I can say that I recently saw Dominic Feng at Jeffery Deitch and was blown away, it definitely sparked something in me.
DO YOU HAVE ANY UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS OR PROJECTS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH US?
I have a few projects that are too early to reveal. But at the moment, I am designing a book cover for an upcoming novel.
Thin Ice
Hangover
Untitled