BIO
Ning Wan (b. 1997) is a 5th-gen Chinese-American visual artist based in Seattle, WA. He works as a color designer, concept artist, and illustrator; to see his digital work, navigate here.
Critically attuned to American sinophobia and the constraints it imposes, Wan’s work insists upon his voice as a queer/trans Chinese-American. He weaves unconscious desires and queer musings into mixed-media collages and paints his own queered interpretations of ancient Chinese deities. Wan received his education at Columbia University, and after finding the tech world unfulfilling, began pursuing art professionally for a more meaningful future. 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 Gallery AXIS, Gallery B612, Slip Gallery, SlipStitch Studio, and the Fishbowl. He was recently commissioned by the Seattle Public Library to redesign their library card.
ARTIST STATEMENT
To be Chinese American is not an easy or simple matter. Between the fluctuating tides of sinophobia and orientalism, the crushing pressure of the Model Minority myth, and the trickle-down antagonism OF US-China geopolitics, the voice of the Chinese American is easily lost in the noise. My work aims to establish that voice, drawing from both Chinese lore and my lived experiences as a queer/trans Chinese American in an effort to reconcile cultural heritage, collective memory, and modern queer identity.
My practice embodies East meets West. In my paintings, I queer Chinese mythological figures in a contemporary painting style, bringing a modern lens to millennia-old cultural touchstones. In my mixed media practice, I depart from traditional ink painting methods by collaging layers of rice paper, Chinese calligraphy, and painted imagery; the effect is translucent strata that echo the obfuscation of the Chinese American psyche.
My work channels my philosophy that there is no one way to be Chinese American. By emphasizing ancient lore, my work stresses the vast breadth of Chinese culture and history, suggesting to viewers that inheritance and identity is then what we choose to make of it, what we choose to keep alive. Altogether, my work as commentary on Chinese American heritage and legacy is part of a larger effort to challenge the blanket confines that US imperialism imposes on racial minorities through umbrella nomenclature and cultural erasure.