Xiao Wang

Xiao Wang (b. 1990), is a Chinese born, New York based figurative painter primarily working with oil paint. Wang creates constructed scenes that are often inspired by and sourced from real life settings, the paintings combine dramatic, moody color palettes with a realist approach. Wang’s work captures feelings of uncertainty and anxiety using uneasy figures, distorted colors, and uncanny landscape elements, they draw attention to the mental burdens brought on by many of the issues of the contemporary. Many of his pieces are voiced from his perspective as a Chinese immigrant who is navigating through the experience of being trapped between two worlds.

The visual style of Wang’s work recalls Romanticism, the Symbolist Movement, Expressionism, and Magical Realism. Through examining visual arts that reflect rapid social and cultural historical change, he explores the personal and the collective psyche in the current moment of chaos.