ZICHEN WANG

intro yuan

ZICHEN WANG

Wang Zichen's work conveys a sense of tranquility and solitude under the eternal presence of the universe, architecture, and music. Through an unintentional observation of the world, Wang strives to exist like air, like a drop of water merging into the sea, or like ancient caves that stand for millennia, gazing at the transient beauty of nature. The curves of time and architecture intertwine in Wang's creations. This tranquility is not static but rather a dynamic moment, reflected in the artist's practice of naming paintings with a combination of modern dates and ancient time divisions, bridging the past, present, and future.

Music serves as a significant source of inspiration for Wang's work, often evoking synesthetic experiences that go beyond hearing. Wang quietly perceives the colors and flow of sound, transforming solitude and coldness into tangible light and crystallizing them into a force of calm strength.

Artist Statement

As a child, I used a telescope to observe the night sky, and the vastness and mystery of the universe planted a seed in my heart. The universe and nature make me feel small, filling me with awe. To me, the stars are the lights I can see in the deep, unfathomable darkness of the cosmos. They are not only beautiful scenes in nature but also a spiritual refuge, a hope I can reach for in the otherwise unreachable darkness. I see my troubles as shooting stars streaking across the sky, knowing they will disappear time and time again, replaced by the bright, twinkling stars.

My works express an ancient world where nothing exists but water, earth, and air—a boundless world that tells no human joys or sorrows but instead conveys the eternal and profound nature of the universe. These caves have existed for millennia, as time quietly flows like water. When curves, volume, space, and time are highlighted, they reveal the ever-changing wonders of the caves across the endless horizon. In my paintings, night and day coexist at times, with light unconsciously shining through. Some caves still stand quietly on the calm, vast sea; others have long since eroded, collapsed, scattered by the wind, or carried away by the water.

The naming of my works is something I find interesting. I bring perceptions from the real world into this ancient one. Thus, the first part of the title is a date from the real world, while the latter part uses ancient time divisions to reflect time in this primordial world.

In the future, I will continue to explore the different feelings that time and space evoke in me and the subtle changes that occur at different times of day, searching for the undercurrents beneath the calm surface.