More and more often these days the Tampa Bay region can claim artists who are internationally esteemed. Kirk Ke Wang has established himself not only locally, but significantly throughout the world. His paintings have been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the National Museum of Art in Beijing, and the Dr. Sun Yet-Sen National Gallery of Taiwan in Taipei, among many others.
Born in Shanghai, China, Wang’s early life has played a crucial role in shaping his artistic sensibilities. His work is characterized by an intricate use of color, patterns, and symbolism. His unique multiculturalism is reflected in the blend of Eastern and Western sensibilities witnessed in everything he applies himself to. He is a successful painter, sculptor, photographer, mixed media artist, and educator.
Wang lived briefly in a labor camp with his parents during the cultural revolution in China. At age 16 he attended the Nanjing Normal University acquiring a MFA and became an assistant professor of art all by the age of 20 years old. After winning a Bronze medal from the Cultural Ministry of China in a national art competition he was given a scholarship to study abroad. A brief stint at the Art Institute of Chicago, was followed by the achievement of a second MFA from the University of South Florida. He has now called the Tampa Bay region his home for 38 years.
The most striking features of Wang’s paintings are his masterful use of color and his layering of sometimes hidden motifs with modern expressions. Often dealing with political issues and personal commentary, his boldly patterned paintings and collages reflect his intellectual and critical manner of thinking.
A series called “Human Skins” reflects on the experience of environmental degradation and the human suffering that accompanies it. He collected clothes from immigrants and incorporates them into the paintings to represent the social skins everyone is forced to carry with them and present to the world. The layers and colors differ greatly from collage to collage, just as the colors of flesh are innumerable.
His “Snow in September” series is based on images from the September 11th, 2001 World Trade Center attacks. Painting over images from 9/11 and adding bits of white fabric, the works present as deceptively optimistic images. The title of the series refers to an ancient Chinese play about injustice and wrongful death and the clothes represents the innocent lives lost. The contrast of image and idea forces one to contemplate the deeper meaning and how snow can be a metaphor for heaven but also for loss.
Kirk Ke Wang is currently a Professor of Art at Eckerd College and serves on the board at the Ringling Museum of Art as well as the Public Art Committee for the City of Tampa. His work is now featured in the “Skyway Contemporary Art Exhibition” at the Sarasota Art Museum exhibiting July 28 through October 27th.
His advice for emerging artists? “Stay focused. Always ask yourself what’s the difference between your work and many other talented artists”. If you can identify and stick with the difference, the opportunity will come.” This is good advice from an artist who presents work that is both beautiful and poignant. Traditional and modern, Wang’s carefully constructed canvases are truly unique and reflective of his lifetime of concentrated focus on presenting ideas in layered and truly unexpected ways.