Li Wang
Bio: Li Wang (b. 1995) is a New York based painter, born in Beijing, China. Li holds a Bachelor of Art from The Central Academy of Drama in Beijing, where he studied Stage Design. Li is currently a Master of Fine Arts candidate at Columbia University School of the Arts. His works are mainly about how queer male bodies inhabit domestic spaces. By rendering figures within a realistic atmosphere, he interrogates the concept of masculinity.
www.liwang.biz
Instagram: @liwang_leo
Thesis Exhibition
Artist Statement: My work explores how queer male bodies inhabit domestic spaces. Through rendering these bodies in the nude, I interrogate the concept of masculinity. The figures in my work are bathed in sexual innuendo, tension, and gay desire. They expose themselves or commit acts of kink while staring directly at the viewer, including them in their secret acts. The figures in my paintings are sexy, frail, effeminate, and sickly.
As an immigrant from China and a gay man, I hope my works can share the life and emotional landscape of my community. We immigrants leave our homes and our countries behind, and experience intense culture shock upon arrival in our new homes. Aside from logistical difficulties and visa limitations, we experience intense feelings of deep loneliness, unmet desire, and spiritual discomfort. Despite these challenges, going back home is not a good choice; in China, queer people have no legal protections. Discrimination and differential treatment happen as a matter of course. The queer diaspora of China is faced with the dilemma of not belonging anywhere. Because of this, I only use my Chinese friends and myself as references.
The still lifes in my paintings also play important roles. The white socks, shorts, underwear and sneakers are private kink signifiers for the Chinese gay community. I also paint cute toys, flowers, crowns, fashionable clothing, perfume, and gay photography catalogs. Through arranging these objects with models in my paintings, my work reveals to my audience the personalities and lifestyles of these gay men who live on the edge of American society.
L to R: After bathing (50" x 50", Oil on canvas, 2022); Before You Left New York City (70" x 58", Oil on canvas, 2022); Tao II (70" x 60", Oil on canvas, 2022)
First Year Exhibition
L to R: Looking Mirror II (60" x 36", Oil on canvas, 2022); A Carousel in Parking (60" x 48", Oil on canvas, 2022)
