Grapefruit and Arm by Chih-Chien Wang

Artistic statement:

My work focuses on the everyday experience. I use photography and video to examine texture, smell or existence of life, and, accompanying with sensibility, I also express my concern about urban environment and cultural differentiation. These concerns sometimes resemble my understanding about people, sometimes reflect the space which I live in, and sometimes answer my doubt about the self. The intrigued signal happens so often that it seems normal to be ignored; however, once it opens up the awareness, the magic of recognition flows.

My practice is indeed dedicated to developing an understanding of individual perceptions about reality through examining the construction of image, object, language, identity, memory and emotion while bringing attention to the process of art making. This dedication attempts to explore instead of concluding, by proposing multiple perspectives rather than one fixed strategy to expand on specific experiences. Ultimately, multiple attempts at exploration bring forth seemingly insignificant fragments and gather a focus on banality that embodies and reflects on the intricacy of personal experiences.

Biography:

Chih-Chien Wang was born in Taiwan and lives in Montreal since completing a master’s degree in the Department of Studio Arts, at Concordia University in 2002. He studied previously in cinema and theatre at the Chinese Culture University in Taipei, Taiwan. In 2018 he was appointed assistant professor in photography at Concordia University. Recent solo exhibitions include Kunstlerhaus Bethenien (2016), Art Gallery of Mississauga (2015), Darling Foundry in Montreal (2015), Expression in Saint-Hyacinthe (2014), Musée régional de Rimouski (2013), Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (2012), and numerous group shows, including at the Kamploops Art Gallery (BC), Justina M Barnicke (U of Toronto), Jack Shainman Gallery in New York, The Quebec Triennial at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, the National Gallery of Canada, Leonard and Bina Ellen Art Gallery in Montreal, Zenith Gallery in Beijing, Aperture in New York, Musée de l’Elysée in Lausanne Switzerland.

Artist Bio (PDF)
Artist CV (PDF)