Daniel Wang is less interested in the stories we illustrate through visual modes like film and television than he is in those stories we take for granted: the subtext which shapes the lives of subjects on and off camera (and canvas). Often replacing or removing backgrounds altogether to highlight his subjects–then stylizing them heavily with dry and wet mediums–Wang recontextualizes familiar imagery like Hollywood starlets and 90's NBA players in an effort to challenge established narratives and complicate our perceptions of representation.

Approaching his subjects from a personal-historical connection, Wang follows a drive to produce reparative images within a Pantheon of popular culture which so often excludes even those it valorizes. For Wang's practice, it is these images only that satisfy what neither mirror nor big screen could. Recombining symbols anachronistically and purposefully blurring the lines of reverence and parody, he questions the notions of authenticity, stereotype, and to what extent cultural identities can be commodified–for themselves or others' benefit. Presenting this dance of play and vengeance through frenetic mark making, Wang offers a uniquely shared experiment in interrogating the collective memories of which we each hold a small opportunity for disruption.

text by Lindsey Lascaux

Daniel Wang CV

Education

BA in Art History from Loyola Marymount University, 2023

Exhibitions

2023

Platform, Online Collection

Wet Hot Texas Summer, group show, Martha’s, Austin, Tx

2022

Sustain Me, solo exhibition, Martha’s, Austin, Tx

2021

Niu Niu, solo exhibition, Martha’s, Austin, Tx