Wang Huai Qing 王懷慶: Fifty Years of Selected Works Exhibition

Curator：王嘉驥 (Chia Chi Jason Wang) 

Photo of Wang Huai Qing (left) and Wu Guan Zhong (Right)

"Wang Huaiqing: Fifty Years of Painting" organized by the Asia University Museum of Modern Art, offers a deep dive into the multifaceted artistic journey of Wang Huaiqing. This exhibition is a treasure trove of his style, thoughts, and understanding, offering valuable insights for all of us.

Born and raised in Beijing, Wang Huaiqing embodies the rich cultural heritage of the imperial capital. Wang’s admission to the Central Academy of Arts and Crafts (now the Academy of Arts and Design, Tsinghua University) in 1964 marked the beginning of his artistic journey. However, the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) disrupted his studies, forcing students and faculty to labor in the countryside. As a result, Wang didn’t graduate until 1971. From 1975 to 1978, while working in stage design, he began experimenting with oil paint and explored serial pictures and book illustrations.

In 1979, Wang advanced to the graduate program at the Central Academy of Arts and Crafts, where he studied under the renowned painting maestro Wu Guanzhong (1919-2010), who deeply recognized and appreciated his talent. By the early 1980s, Wang began to make his mark on the Chinese art scene. His early works, influenced by his academy training, were predominantly realist, focusing on historical and social themes. However, the mid-1980s marked a turning point. Inspired by the Jiangnan region and the black tile and white walls characteristic of Hui-style architecture, he shifted to landscape painting with irregular geometric shapes.

5000 Years, 2003 Oil on canvas 350 x 300 cm ( Private Collection)

Houses, 1987 Oil on Canvas 90 x 71.5cm (Private Collection)

In the mid-1980s, Wang started to experiment more boldly, blending figurative and abstract elements in his work. The 1990s saw another significant evolution. Wang found inspiration in the wooden structures of Ming-style furniture, especially the mortise and tenon joints. He deconstructed these structures and then reassembled or juxtaposed the wooden components on canvas, creating a unique artistic style. He also explored ink painting and began embedding cultural meanings into his work. Using tangible objects from reality, Wang highlighted the fractures in contemporary Chinese society, linking them to its history and traditions. This period marked a profound sense of reconstruction and deconstruction in his art, with his earlier geometric shapes evolving into a blend of abstraction and figurative expressionism.

One of the most striking aspects of Wang’s work from this era is his portrayal of Ming-style furniture. His images often show furniture structurally collapsed or scattered, evoking a sense of melancholy. The components are displayed in soft, irregular geometric forms, as if the tables and chairs are falling apart or have been devastated by fire or explosion, giving a sense of dilapidated ruin. Wu Guanzhong described this as a "tragic sense lurking in his art."

Wang Huaiqing also uses the layering and positioning of chairs to create spatial layers and cultural connotations. He interprets the relationship between wood, life, history, and culture, exploring themes of power, balance, and the seizure of power through the depiction of chairs.

House in a House-Red Bed, 2002 Oil and mixed media on canvas 240 x 240cm (Private Collection)

Red Powder, 2005 Oil on canvas 200 x 420 cm (Private Collection)

Night Revel (Han Xizai's Night Reveal-1), 1996 Oil on canvas 196 x 346 cm (Collection of Leco Foundation)

Utilizing creative reformation based on legacy, Wang Huaiqing built a bridge to reconnect himself with tradition. Reflecting the spirit and essence of traditional Chinese culture has always been at the core of Wang Huaiqing's artistic practice. The Chinese Emperor series, developed from 2008 to 2016, comprises works in which he appropriated masterpieces from the history of Chinese painting. Through innovation and transformation, he incorporated his philosophy to create a dialogue across time and space. The images in the Chinese Emperor series are portrayed with reference to historical Chinese portraits, often drawing directly from the emperor portraits produced by court painters, particularly from the Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties. These depictions are specifically based on works from the Palace Museum.

Chinese Emperor-3, 2013-2014 Oil mixed media on canvas (Collection CTBC Bank)

Wang Huaiqing wrote : 『把與藝術無關的，可有可無的，繪畫承擔不了的，負擔不起的統統趕出畫面，只剩下\不容置疑的，不能商量的，不可無視的。』

"Expel from the canvas everything unrelated to art, the superfluous, and what painting cannot bear or afford. Only the undeniable, non-negotiable, and unavoidable remain."

I genuinely believe that this philosophy is still relevant today. Wang Huaiqing's legacy will endure, making this exhibition well worth visiting. Nearly 50 paintings and sculptural works are on display. Through this exhibition, we aim to offer contemporary art enthusiasts a glimpse into the artistic locus and essence of Wang Huaiqing.