Han Wang Artist Statement
Transformational Plates, 2016, porcelain, gold leaf, lacquer, hand-painted decoration, China paint Variable dimension
As a Chinese artist living in America I am interested in a cultural phenomenon which I call it “cultural grafting.” It is the transplanting of one culture onto another culture’s imagination. My most recent work explores industrially produced items that are thought of as Chinese, but are actually American concoctions made in the style of what might be thought of as Chinese. Common examples of this are Americanized Chinese food like General Tso’s Chicken, Chinese takeout containers, and fortune cookies.
I use ceramics to play with the history of art and how it has been interpreted by other societies. It relates to how Western cultures have been imitating Chinese traditional decorative art for many centuries. To this day, modern Chinese immigrants use their traditional culture to attract Western society. I see my work as a form of contemporary “chinoserie.” I wish to express this cultural phenomenon through my art.