Meet Ming Wang | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ming Wang and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ming, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Balancing work and life is indeed a significant challenge for artists, especially as their passion evolves into a profession. Initially, many artists pursue their craft out of love, considering it a hobby. However, as art transitions into a career, new expectations emerge, including the pressure to sustain a livelihood and gain recognition within the art community. This shift blurs the distinction between art as a beloved pursuit and art as work.

This struggle to differentiate between work and hobby can lead artist either over work themself, barely give themself resting time or having a hard time to maintain a consistent schedule. I, too, once lived a life between studio and bedroom, and realize that this way of living is neither healthy nor productive. After a while, I feel tired and uninspired on my studio but keep thinking about work when I am supposed to rest. This experience taught me the necessity of establishing a more balanced lifestyle.

This year I’ve made a deliberate effort to redefine my work life balance. I now view my studio time as work hours, and once I leave my studio, I consciously release thoughts of painting and immerse into other important thing in life—resting, spending time with my friends and family, cooking, and taking walks. I also intentionally pick up hobby outside of painting. For example, gardening and weaving that have no link to my career or my source of income. I invest time in my hobby fully for relaxation and fun. Since my paintings are about memory and experience, being able to walk out of my studio to observe and experience life not only recharge myself, but also, provide me with new inspirations for the art.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art is a reflection of my experiences in the world around me. Through paintings and prints inspired by everyday snapshots, I aim to capture the feeling and sensation of fleeting moments. Whether it’s the sensation of lying on summer grass, gazing at tree canopies; wandering through a city at night, watching the river flow; or recalling a conversation on park benches—these scenes evoke a mix of déjà vu and dream-like unfamiliarity. Because in the process of recalling and visualizing memories, some parts stay and some parts merge with the feeling at the moment and become something new.

In my solo exhibition at A/W Space in Nanjing, China, in 2023, I presented a series of paintings centered around a shadow character’s journey through the natural and urban landscapes of New York City. Each piece drew from a personal memory of the past three years. By utilizing an identity-less shadow character, I invite any individuals living in the vast concrete jungle to resonate with my work.

The idea of creating unseen images or digging up the image that lies deep in unconsciousness excites me the most in my practice. I studied illustration for my bachelor’s degree at the School of Visual Arts. During my studies, I tried different kinds of illustration and worked as a children’s book illustrator when I was still at school. One of the main principles of illustration is successfully delivering messages and ideas, most time the idea of another person. When I work as an illustrator, I feel that even if I successfully deliver what the art director is asking for, I do not have a sense of ownership of the art I create. And this thought bothers me. Therefore I started thinking about if there are other creative paths I can take other than illustration. I explore many different directions in undergrad including graphic design, 3D modeling, ceramic…Later I noticed that among all the mediums I explored, painting is the medium that I keep turning back to. It is the inherent openness and possibility in painting that allow me to delve into ambiguous images and seek the meaning of the work in progress.

In 2020, I started working for Stella Zhang, a cross-medium artist based in California as an artist assistant. In Stella’s studio, I assisted in producing artwork as well as studio administration tasks. Witnessing the daily practice of a fine artist solidified my desire to pursue this career path. With encouragement and support from Stella and my family in California, I pursued a graduate degree in MFA Visual Arts at Columbia University. At Columbia University, I delved deeper into my practice and met fantastic artist mentors, curators, and fellow artists. The time in graduate school allows me to push my practice and art career further. I am honored to show my painting internationally in renowned galleries in New York, Sweden, and China in recent years.

Currently, I maintain active studio practice as a visual artist while teaching drawing courses to undergraduate students in the School of Visual Arts. Finding the path as an artist takes work. On this path, one has to keep exploring and learning to form a unique perspective. And being able to insist on your unique voice is important as well. As an artist, you have the agency to determine what kind of work you want to make and the definition of success. This is something I learned along the way, and I hope I can always remember.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My favourite spots in the city is the Met Cloisters. It is located in the Fort Tryon Park around 190th street. The museum specialize in medieval art and architecture, also has a beautiful garden that change view with the season. It is truly a hidden gem in Manhattan for wander and reflection.

When I was at LA with my friend, I really enjoy grabbing coffee and dessert in Porto’s Bakery. Their Tres Leches Cake is amazing.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to shout out to my parents, who lives far away from me in China. They have always been supportive in my artistic journey. I am so happy that they could finally see my show in person last year.

I also want to shout out to my loving mentors in my Journey. They not only taught me the technique and methods to create art, they’ve illuminated the path of navigating the art world and provided invaluable assistance during challenging times.

Last but certainly not least, I want to shout out to my friends. They have been walk by my side in this artist journey since I moved to the United States by myself at 17. Without their steadfast support, I wouldn’t have persevered to reach this point in my journey.

Website: www.mingwangart.com

Instagram: @mingmingmingwang

Image Credits
credit to: A/W Space, Chambers Fine Art