VICTOR WANG A V I S I O N T O B E H O L D 1
A VISION TO BEHOLD Odon Wagner Contemporary is proud to be mounting the second solo exhibition of new works by outstanding figurative painter Victor Wang. For those familiar with his work, this is not a departure from paintings past but a progression of common themes and a heightening of the understated drama within his pictures. Wang s women remain both ethereal and earthbound in their ability to project an untold narrative within the dreamlike confines of the painted canvas. With these new paintings, Wang breaks away from solitary figures cropped to emphasize their faces, to using objects, animals, or an architectural structure to frame his female subjects, adding depth and detail to their private stories. Like the protagonists in a silent film, these women engage the viewer in a personal dialogue, offering a glimpse into a world where they represent the heroine, the muse, the stoic or tragic figure. There is a beautiful union between purely aesthetic and conceptual principles in Victor Wang s work that makes his sumptuous canvases irresistible. Unlike so many paintings devoted to the female form and face, Victor Wang s work eschews sentimentality and objectification for a more symbolic reading, where the woman is a vehicle as much as a vision to behold. In this case, China s Cultural Revolution remains the backdrop for Wang s imagery, with the sunflower representing the people of China following Mao, the way the flower follows the sun. The flowers more often wilted, bring forth notions of life and death both spiritually and allegorically and they represent a significant part of the artist s personal story. As do the women themselves, often depicted wearing the headscarves typical of the region where he grew up. Wang s use of the female subject is reminiscent of the Pre- Raphaelite women, particularly Dante Gabriel Rossetti s A Vision of Fiammetta from 1878. Like the women in Wang s painting, Fiammetta stands glowing against a dark background, apple blossoms abound, said to signify the transience of beauty. Rossetti s models were ordinary women brought to life often as literary figures, representing both beauty and substance. Victor Wang has followed in this tradition, offering a veritable feast of elements to contemplate and appreciate for years to come. Elissa McGillivray Odon Wagner Contemporary October 2009 Front Cover: DRUMMER (DETAIL), oil on canvas, 52 x 50 in. / 133 x 127 cm
1 SUNSET oil on canvas, 45 x 63 in. / 114 x 160 cm
2 PINK LAND oil on canvas, 38 x 28 in. / 96 x 72 cm
3 THE WALL oil on canvas, 46 x 46 in. / 117 x 117 cm
4 AFTER THE RAIN oil on canvas, 55 x 78 in. / 140 x 198 cm
5 MEMORIES oil on canvas, 63 x 47 in. / 160 x 119 cm
6 MEMORY HOLDING oil on canvas, 35 x 39 in. / 89 x 99 cm
7 DRUMMER oil on canvas, 52 x 50 in. / 133 x 127 cm
8 LUMINOUS SKY oil on canvas, 46 x 48 in. / 117 x 122 cm
9 APPROACHING STORM oil on canvas, 53 x 50 in. / 135 x 127 cm
10 DREAM OF JOURNEY oil on canvas, 48 x 63 in. / 122 x 160 cm
11 REALIZATION oil on canvas, 46 x 63 in. / 116 x 160 cm
VICTOR WANG EDUCATION 1988-1990 MFA (Art Studio), Department of Fine Arts, Fontbonne University, St. Louis, MO 1988-1990 Visiting Scholar (Painting), School of Fine Arts, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 1987-1988 Visiting Scholar (Painting), School of Art and Design, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 1979-1983 BFA (Oil Painting), Department of Oil Painting, Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts, Shenyang, Liaoning, China SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2009 Odon Wagner Contemporary, Toronto, ON 2008 Arcadia Gallery, New York, NY Fontbonne University Art Gallery, St. Louis, MO 2007 Atrium Gallery, St. Louis, MO 2006 Odon Wagner Contemporary, Toronto, ON 2005 Arcadia Gallery, New York, NY 2004 Atrium Gallery, St. Louis, MO 2003 Cinema Gallery, Urbana, IL 2002 Mackey Gallery, Houston, TX 1999 Luna de 527 Gallery, Houston, TX 1997 Elan Fine Arts Gallery, Santa Fe, NM 1996 Elan Fine Arts Gallery, Santa Fe, NM GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2009 Toronto International Art Fair (Odon Wagner Contemporary) Art Chicago, Chicago, IL Palmbeach3 Contemporary Art, Palm Beach, FL 2008 Toronto International Art Fair (Odon Wagner Contemporary) Beijing Art Salon, Beijing, China Los Angeles Art Show, Los Angeles, CA 2007 Toronto International Art Fair (Odon Wagner Contemporary) Art Miami, FL Los Angeles Art Show, CA International Blitz Atrium Gallery, St. Louis, MO 2006 Toronto International Art Fair (Odon Wagner Contemporary) Art Chicago Art Miami HONOURS & AWARDS 2007 Scholar and Artist Award, Winner, Fontbonne University, St. Louis MO 2006 Finalist, The Artist s Magazine 23rd Annual Art Competition 2001 An Award of Excellence, Art St. Louis XVII, Art St. Louis, St. Louis 2000 Bob and Sara Davies Merit Award, 50th Mid-States Art Exhibition, Evansville Museum of Art and Science, Evansville, IN 1999 Award of Excellence Prize, Forte Cup 20th Century Asian Pacific Art Competition, Asian Pacific Art Institute of America, Forte International Inc., Ellicott City, MD 1998 Governor s Awards for Excellence in Teaching 1998, Office of the Governor, Jefferson, MO CREDITS CURATORS GRAPHIC DESIGN BACK COVER PHOTOGRAPHY PRINTING Nicholas Wagner, Rafael Wagner and Odon Wagner id Inspired Design, Toronto (www.inspireddesign.ca) Al Gilbert Solisco Caractera, Quebec (www.solisco.com) 198 Davenport Road. Toronto, ON M5R 1J2 Canada 416.962.0438 800.551.2465 info@odonwagnergallery.com www.odonwagnergallery.com ISBN: 978-0-9811390-5-0 National Library of Canada Victor Wang: A Vision to Behold Copyright: Odon Wagner Gallery, 2009