Wang Huangsheng

Wang Huangsheng is a Chinese-born curator, educator and artist who is currently residing in Beijing.

He used to serve as the director

of China Central Academy of Fine Arts Museum for eight years.

As an curator, he is most known for his curated events.

He has been the curator of Guangdong Museum of Art and the Museum Art of Central Academy of Fine Arts for a long time.

Exhibitions curated include Documentary Exhibition of Art in Mao Zedong’s Era (1942–1976), The Humanism in China: A Contemporary Record of Photography, etc.

Wang Huangsheng was born in Shantou, Guangdong province, in 1956.

Ph.D of art history, professor of China Central Academy of Fine Arts, doctoral adviser, deputy director of the Committee of Art Museums in China, Expert Committee member of National Contemporary Art Research Centre, Ministry of Culture.

Wang is an outstanding art expert who enjoys special allowance of the State Council in China, also a specially-appointed professor in Heidelberg University, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, Nanjing University of the Arts and South China Normal University.

Wang Huangsheng obtained his master from the Nanjing University of the Arts in 1990 and his doctorate in 2006 respectively.

He was the director of Guangdong Museum of Art from 2000 to 2009, the director of CAFA Art Museum from 2009 to 2017.

He founded and organized the Guangzhou Triennial, Guangzhou Photo Biennale, "CAFAM Biennale", "CAFAM · Future" exhibition and Beijing Photo Biennale.

In 2004 he obtained the "Knight Medal of Art and Literature" awarded by the French government.

In 2006 he obtained the "Knight Medal" awarded by the President of Italy.

After 2010, Wang shifted to more abstract practice.

His Moving Visions series and Lines Visions series reabstract the already abstract “line” and “stroke” and bring them into interaction with contemporary visual cognition in similar conditions.

Moving Visions series stresses the concept of “cultivation” in traditional Chinese culture and aims to build a passage that connects contemporary culture with human being's ultimate goal.

“cultivation” involves culture, moral character, artistic conception and skills, not excluding control and self-control; while “freedom” refers to non-interference, being unrestrained and uninhibited, and more importantly, accomplishment of spiritual freedom from any restraint.

Between the two seemingly contradictory extremes there is probably the tension and significance of life, work and art.

The series of Lines Visions series is a brave attempt for Wang Huangsheng to think about the ink creation and social intervention.

The series were drawn on newspaper media of Southern Weekly and Reference News to reflect on the current social situation.

By applying ink lines on the newspaper, Wang Huangsheng redefined how we read and also integrated his artist practice with social reality.

In painting series Trace Vision, Metaphor Vision and The Wall Wang experiments with gauze, bandage and rubbing.

The traces gauze residues leave and the ink as well as the reality and cultural information between the newspaper and the rice paper become a metaphor for harm and protection, restoration and sublimation.

The fine, delicate, sensitive imprints form a rich and subtle contrast with the rich and wild lines and shapes and ink stains.

The Wall features a visible or invisible wall of gauze imprints of isolation and self-protection to imply injury, pain, separation, blood, care, and cure.

The texture of gauze rubbing and the shades and humidity of ink echo the delicate and fine rubbing traces on a large-size tableau, also including the imprints of randomly scattered gauze bits, so as to give embodied expression on the visual and psychological levels.

In 2013 he obtained the "Beijing best educator" awarded by the Beijing government.

The Universe series of works has not only the elegant style and the stretch of spirits, but also portraying the classical tradition and fantasy lyrical modern expression temperament; the series of works express the magnificent Chinese culture.

You can feel the universe in the cup and how broad-minded the artist is.

Wang Huangsheng's Serene belongs to his Flower series that is born of his pursuit of “freedom”.

The “flowers” are given expression in different forms, like colors, details-adding techniques, water streaks, ink flavor, lines, taste, etc. In this sense, the form, tangible or concrete, becomes less important, and the artist's feeling and understanding about life and glory get highlighted.

Metaphor Vision, a new series in 2017, is a rubbing on gauze painted red.

There are also biblical quotes about human self-reflection to express a complex feeling of harm and atonement.

Wang's installations are derivative of his paintings.

These installations often use barbed wires to imitate the movement of ink lines.

Barbed wires, as ready-made material for art, are sharp, pliable and tough, so they are metaphoric of ink as well as social violence.

Overflowing Light builds an “overflowing” scene with glittering, transparent glass tube and shining barbed wires, as well as light and shadow.

Sharp wires are pressed through the fragile glass tube, leaving shards scattered on the ground, shining in riotous profusion.

Beautiful as these shards are, they seem dangerous when you come closer.