BIO
Ning Wan (b. 1997) is a Chinese-American visual artist based in Seattle, WA. He works as a Program Coordinator at Mayest Arts Collective. He has also worked as a color designer, concept artist, and illustrator; to see his digital work, navigate here.
Wan is a 2026 Shunpike Storefronts Program Grant recipient and 2026 Bernie Funk Pratt Scholarship awardee. He is currently pursuing a BFA Equivalent in the Kang-O’Higgins Atelier with Gage Academy of Art. His work has shown in exhibitions at Seattle Art Fair, Gage Academy of Art, Gallery AXIS, Gallery B612, Slip Gallery, SlipStitch Studio, Base Camp Studios, and the Fishbowl. He was recently commissioned by the Seattle Public Library to redesign their library card.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I am a visual artist whose practice spans Chinese calligraphy, oil painting, and mixed media collage.
Critically attuned to the perceptions of American sinophobia and the Western gaze, my work seeks to establish the voice of the Chinese American, reconciling cultural heritage and modern queer identity. Particularly interested in mythos and the power of collective memory, I queer Chinese mythological figures in a contemporary painting style and collage them with Chinese calligraphy and personal texts. Each layer of text contains my thoughts on queerness, with successive layers narrating from subconscious to conscious mind. The base layer conveys stream of consciousness; subsequent layers detail hidden desires; finally, the surface layer bears only what thoughts get spoken aloud, often tailored for palatability in an attempt for connection and acceptance.
My work channels my philosophy that there is no one way to be Chinese American. By drawing upon ancient lore, my work stresses the vast breadth of Chinese culture and history, suggesting to viewers that inherited identity is then what we choose to make of it, what we choose to keep alive. I strive to capture a colliding of worlds that, for many queer Asian Americans, feels impossible to navigate — but is a lived reality that deserves recognition and validation.