Artist Statement

       My path through life has been adventurous, exciting, and dream-like. My experience of settling into America in search of better opportunities has been both challenging and inspiring. I use the human face as a vehicle to paint human experiences - worry and wonder, sadness and pleasure - which reflect the emotional stage directly tied to my immigration experiences.

      I grew up amongst the sunflower fields in northern China. In my childhood years, I played under the bright, yellow sunflowers with my brothers everyday. China’s Cultural Revolution played an important part in my life. During that time, sunflowers were used as political allegories to depict how citizens of China should follow Mao who represented the sun, since sunflowers follow the sun’s movements. People eventually inferred the deception that this symbol masked. After graduating from high school, I was sent to a labor camp in the country for ‘reeducation’ during China’s Cultural Revolution. There, I was subject to grueling farm work. Often, I worked in corn and sunflower fields from sunrise to sunset. Thus, for me, sunflowers evoke both personal joy and sadness. Therefore, to deliver my complex feelings, I use sunflowers as a metaphor to connote my background and emotional stage.

      My incorporation of collages of figures from China’s Tang Dynasty represents my Chinese heritage and is a constant reminder of where I came from. The texture and earthiness on the canvas’s surface are inspired by the texture of the soil on the farm where I worked in China.

      Although I often gain great pleasure from the process of painting, it is most important to unfold expressively those feelings within myself.

Biography

Victor (Sheng) Wang
Professor
Department of Fine Arts
Fontbonne University
St. Louis, Missouri 63105 USA

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, IL
1979-1983 BFA (oil painting) Department of Oil Painting, Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts, China,

SELECTED SHOWS:
Solo Shows:

2008 Jun. Arcadia Gallery, New York, NY
2007 Sep. Atrium Gallery, St. Louis, MO
2006 Nov. Odon Wagner Gallery, Toronto, Canada
2005 Dec. Arcadia Gallery, New York, NY
2004 Dec. Atrium Gallery, St. Louis, MO
2003 May. Cinema Gallery, Urbana, IL
2002 Oct. Mackey Gallery, Houston, TX
1999 Apr. Luna de 527 Gallery, Houston, TX
1997 May Elan Fine Arts Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
1996 May Elan Fine Arts Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
1995 Oct. Pompeii Gallery, Webster Groves, MO
1994 Dec. East Gallery, Taichung, Taiwan
          May Theater Gallery of Meramec Community College, St. Louis, MO
1992 May Towato Gallery, Alton, IL
           Jun. Gallery of Thomas Theological Seminary, Denver, CO
1991 Aug. Garret Gallery, St. Louis, MO
1988 May Art Studio Gallery, Urbana, IL

Group Show

2007 Toronto International Art Fair 2006, Toronto, Canada
          Art Miami 2006, Miami, FL
2006 Toronto International Art Fair 2006, Toronto, Canada
          Art Chicago 2006, Chicago, IL
          Art Miami 2006, Miami, FL
2005 "Re-presenting Representation VII" Arnot Art Muesum, Elmira, NY
          Toronto International Art Fair 2005, Toronto, Canada
          Chicago Contemporary & Classic 2005, Navy Pier, Chicago, IL
          Art Miami 2005, Miami, FL
2004 Toronto International Art Fair 2004, Toronto, Canada
          Art Miami 2004, Miami, FL
2003 Arcadia Gallery, New York, NY
2002 Home Grown, Atrium Gallery, St. Louis, MO
          Honor Awards 2002, Art St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
2001 50th Mid-States Art Exhibition, Evansville Museum of Art and Science, Evansville, IN
2000 Arousal, The Gallery on Washington St, St. Louis, MO.
1999 Faces of Art St. Louis, McElwain Fine Arts, St. Louis, MO
          Art St. Louis XIV Exhibition, Art St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
1998 Two Persons Show, Meramec Art Gallery. St. Louis, MO
1996 Art St. Louis XII Exhibition, Art St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
          Figurative Paintings in St. Louis Today, Fontbonne University Gallery of Art, St. Louis, MO
1995 Artists Choose Artists, Art St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
          Gender Gaze, Art St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
1992 Art Competition, National Oil Painters' Society, Osage Beach, MO
1991 50th Annual National Juried Competitive Exhibition, Sioux City, IA
          Art Wyoming 91, Casper, WY
          Art Competition, National Oil Painters' Society, Osage Beach, MO
          25th Annual National Drawing and Small Sculpture Exhibition, Corpus Christi, TX
1990 Realism Today, Museum of Art and Science, Evansville, IN
          Portrait Competition 1990, St. Louis Artists' Guild, St. Louis, MO

HONORS &AWARDS:

2007 Sep. Scholar/Artist Award, Fontbonne University, St. Louis, MO
2001 Dec. An Award of Excellence, Art St. Louis XVII, Art St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
2000 Dec. Bob and Sara Davies Merit Award, 50th Mid-States Art Exhibition, Evansville Museum of Art
           and Science, Evansville, IN
1999 Sep. 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 Dec. Governor's Awards for Excellence in Teaching 1998, Office of the Governor, Jefferson MO
1991 Apr. Second Prize in Drawing, 25th Annual National Drawing and Small Sculpture Exhibition,
          Corpus Christi, TX
          Jan. First Prize, Portrait Competition 1991, St. Louis Artists' Guild, St. Louis, MO
          Apr. First Place in Oil Painting, 7th Annual Garret Gallery National Juried Exhibition, St. Louis, MO
1990 Jan. First Prize, Portrait Competition 1990, St. Louis Artists' Guild, St. Louis, MO

REVIEWS:

   • Edith Zimmerman, Article, "Buttery Texture, Luscious Color and Layers of History" American Artist,September Issue, 2007
   • Nicholas Davis, A Review, "A True Cultural Revolutionary,"Toronto Sun, December 13, 2006
   • Joshua Rose, A Review, "Wang's Large-than-life Impasto Paintings Express The Emotion And Passion of The Immigrant             Experience," American Art Collector, December Issue, 2005
   • Teresa Callahan, A Review, "Wang's Exuberant Oil Paintings, Daher's Serene Pastels Share Billing in
      Powerful Show at Clayton's Atrium Gallery," West End Word, Feb. 2005
   • Gussie Fauntleroy, A Review, "Victor Wang: the Repercussions of Change," The Santa Fe New
      Mexican, May 1997
   • Carol Ferring Shepley, Article, "Victor Wang Reality and Dream Are the Same," Art St. Louis News
      Letter, Vol. 11, No. 4, Winter 1997
   • Edward Boccia, Article, "Victor Wang Pursues A Meaningful Reality," Journal of Art, Issue 2, 1996, China
   • Kathleen McCloud, A Review, "Wang Mixes Western Methods with Eastern Ideas," The Santa Fe New
      Mexican, May 24, 1996
   • Betsy S. Goldman, Article, "Eastern Ideas, Western Methods," Oil Highlights Figures," January, 1996
   • Edward Boccia, A Review, "Victor Wang's New Work," Artists, Issue 1, 1995, Taiwan
   • Paul A. Harris, A Review, "Gallery Shows Work of Chinese Painter," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 4, 1992
   • Betsy S. Goldman, Article, "Eastern Ideas, Western Methods," American Artist, May Issue, 1992
   • Paul A. Harris, A Review, "Victor Wang's Paintings Are Studies in Contrasts," St. Louis Post-dispatch,
      August 31, 1991