Meet Zhisheng Wu | Artist & Art Teacher

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

Hi Zhisheng, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
In China, over 70 percent of art school graduates are teachers, because the art market in China has not yet formed a sound order, plus the government does not attach so much importance to the art industry, and there is not enough market for artists to sell their works. So graduates of art schools can only make a living by working as teachers.

I am an art teacher in Southern California. I am teaching my students and at the same time I am doing my own artworks. Even though the energy and time I put into it is not much, I can still get some exhibition opportunities to expose and sell my works, so I think it is easier for me to engage in the art industry in the US than in China.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am Zhisheng Wu, a contemporary artist currently living and working in Southern California, whose work consists mainly of installations, performances and paintings. My BFA studies at the Central Academy of Fine Arts brought me advanced painting and sculpture techniques and an understanding of public art, and my MFA studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago enabled me to pinpoint my personal creative vein and style. My works are mainly divided into art practice in public space and personal creation. My installations in public space have been exhibited in many regions in China such as Wuhan, Beijing, Guangzhou etc. I am currently working on paintings based on his family of origin and his own emotional memories of childhood. My new work “Good Night #Series” is currently on exhibition at BWAC Gallery in New York City.

My proudest and most exciting experience was when my performance art work Drowning at 2022 was featured on CNN and many other international media outlets! This work was the biggest challenge I faced because it expressed my protest against China’s zero-COVID policy, and my parents were still in China and they would face pressure from the Chinese government. But fortunately nothing dangerous happened, and this difficulty was at last safely overcome. This also reinforces my intention to express myself as an artist for the sake of justice.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
To be honest, I’ve only been in Southern California for six months, but I’d love to take my best friends to Laguna Beach and New Port Beach for a beachside barbecue, grill them the most authentic Chinese lamb kebabs and taste my wife’s cake rolls!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The most deserving of credit and recognition are my wife, and I have to shout out for her! My wife has been with me since I came to the US. She was likewise in school while I was at the Art Institute of Chicago completing my MFA degree. At that time, She needed to get out of bed at 3:00am in the middle of the night every day to take online classes at school in the UK. And she learned a handful of authentic Chinese food that skyrocketed our happiness in life. When I graduated from graduate school, I thought about giving up working in the U.S. and going back to my home country to enjoy a comfortable life, but my wife’s constant encouragement built up my remarkable self-confidence. We eventually started our own art studio together in Southern California to teach kids drawing skills, and we’ve already had 40 students who trust us since January.

Website: www.zhishengstudio.com

Instagram: zhisheng_

Twitter: zhi_sheng_wu

Facebook: 吴知声

Image Credits
Zhisheng Wu