Focus: Pei Wang

Focus:

Pei Wang
Workplace is pleased to launch the latest instalment of Focus, a series of presentations in the which the practice of artists at early stages of their career and new to the gallery programme are introduced through a body of work, curated specifically for each presentation.

For this instalment we introduce the work of Pei Wang (b.1989, China), a Barcelona based artist who received his BA in Sculpture from China Academy of Art, Hangzhou, in 2012 and his MA in Oil painting from China Academy of Art, in 2015. The artist received his PhD in Medieval studies RA from University of Barcelona, Barcelona, in 2021.

Wang will be presenting a solo exhibition at Workplace, London in October 2024 to coincide with Frieze London.
Pei Wang

The Memory 01, 2024

Tempera mixed with oil on linen

27 x 24 cm
10 5/8 x 9 1/2 in

Enquire

WP0001

WG: You originally trained as a sculptor, can you talk about what drew you to painting as medium and how your training in sculpture has shaped your work today?

PW: I learnt to paint at a very young age and dreamed of becoming a painter, therefore it was unexpected for me to choose to study sculpture during my undergraduate years. My lecturer at the time told me that sculpture requires a more rigorous ability in drawing and modeling, which are essential skills for achieving the classical standards of ancient art, which greatly appealed to me.

When I first entered the sculpture department, it was completely unfamiliar to me. It felt more like an application technology class, especially with the sports anatomy, kinesiology, and materials science involved in the foundational stages of sculpting the human body.

The greatest benefit of studying sculpture for my painting was the improvement in my drawing and modeling skills. During my master's studies in painting I distinctly felt that my modeling skills had become so much stronger than before. Additionally, studying sculpture also enhanced my adaptability to different materials.
Michelangelo's Draft, 1550

Clay

16.5cm

Casa Buonarroti, Firenze, Italy

Around 2017, I visited Michelangelo's former residence Casa Buonarroti in Florence, and I was struck by these small terracotta and clay drafts. They were far from the refined ‘perfect craftsmanship’ of the Vatican Church and the Medici family's commissions, yet, their intensity and power were no less potent than those massive marble statues. In the rough, repeatedly modified traces, you could see Michelangelo's thought process. Some parts that needed emphasis were deliberately strengthened; other areas which needed to be weaker were boldly and roughly erased resembling an unadorned and unhidden ‘trace’ of thought and labor.

After that, I began paying more attention to the subtle changes in form and expressions of emotions in painting and sculpture.

– Pei Wang, 2024
Pei Wang's studio, Barcelona, Spain, 2024
Pei Wang

The Memory 03, 2024

Tempera mixed with oil on linen

27 x 24 cm
10 5/8 x 9 1/2 in

Enquire

WP0003

WG: You use casein tempera in your work, how do you prepare this and how does it differ from more conventional materials such as oil or acrylic?

PW: Tempera emulsion is equivalent to oil in oil painting and water and glue in watercolor paint. It is a very traditional pigment carrier and medium. The special thing about egg yolk and casein is that it can be dissolved in both oil and water. Some of my paintings do use Egg Tempera and Casein Tempera materials as the base layer, which is equivalent to the ‘mid-tone’. Such an under painting can retain the relaxed and ‘free brush work’ properties of water-based materials, while the Tempera medium is harder and more durable than oil after drying, making it safer to use as a base layer for painting. After the base layer dries, I brush the isolation varnish on the entire painting surface, and then use oil painting materials for high-saturation over-glazing.

The use of this technique comes from the Northern Netherlands School of Painting in the early Renaissance. I didn't realise the superiority of this method at first, but when I saw a copy of Raphael’s early Roman murals 10 years ago, it spoke to me and I attempted to learn this myself.
'Focus: Pei Wang' Installation view - Workplace, 50 Mortimer Street, London, UK
My interest in photography began in the last few years. It seems quite serendipitous that I stumbled upon the works of Craigie Horsfield, Man Ray, and Richard Learoyd in old magazines and art books. Their works often feature simple everyday objects, fruits, and close-up shots of facial features, combining simple static narratives with a strong sense of horror, danger, and eeriness. They remind me of Michelangelo's drafts, but these photographers clearly and intentionally convey this atmosphere in their works.

– Pei Wang, 2024
'Focus: Pei Wang' Installation view - Workplace, 50 Mortimer Street, London
Pei Wang's studio, Barcelona, Spain, 2024
Pei Wang

The Memory 02, 2024

Tempera mixed with oil on linen

27 x 24 cm
10 5/8 x 9 1/2 in

Enquire

WP0002

WG: Your paintings bring together both beauty in a traditional sense and also something disquieting, almost abject - is this intended and if so, can you expand upon this.

PW: I haven't tried to accurately set a certain mood or narrative in my paintings, but I do aim to capture subtle facial expressions and emotional nuances in my subjects, such as trauma or psychological barriers. However, they are often challenging to grasp accurately and frequently fall short of my expectations. For a long time, I've pondered this issue, and perhaps controlling the atmosphere in painting through light, shadow, and shape could be an interesting experiment.

However, as a painter, one must recognise the reality that narrative conveyed through images is far less efficient and precise compared to literature, music, and films. One of the most special essences of painting lies in its material's sensory experience.
WG: What are your influences outside of fine art? For example cinema, music, literature or philosophy.

PW: I have a particularly strong interest in philosophy and architecture, although I don't delve too deeply into discussions about them because they are both highly independent disciplines with high cognitive thresholds. From the sensuous perspective of an artist's "natural attitude”, almost anything can be connected to art, but I find such discussions often appear very superficial and full of loopholes.

Speaking of architecture, I usually am not particularly interested in the form of buildings; I am more interested in space, proportion, material craftsmanship, and the connection with the surrounding environment. My favorite architects are Carlo Scarpa and Aldo Rossi.

Carlo's works are filled with an extreme sense of craftsmanship in every corner, yet he seems to hide these brilliant details very well, presenting a very harmonious overall space where the relationships and proportions of shapes, as well as the harmony and contrast of textures, are fully realised. Aldo's works focus more on the cultural essence of the environment in which the building is located. Some of his works even suggest a symbolic intention, although I'm not sure if this is intentional.
Pei Wang's studio, Barcelona, Spain, 2024
Architectural Tectonics is one of the architectural concepts which I am interested in, it is an exploration of the poetics of construction. From my point of view, painting is also a complex and poetic construction process. A painting is not only a graphic language, in my painting I want to explore a complex relation between technique, materiality, form and space, which can create unique experience and phenomena.

– Pei Wang, 2024
'Focus: Pei Wang' Installation view - Workplace, 50 Mortimer Street, London
Pei Wang in his Barcelona Studio, 2024

Pei Wang (b. 1989, China) lives and works in Barcelona, Spain. He received his BA in Sculpture from China Academy of Art, Hangzhou, in 2012 and his MA in Oil painting from china Academy of Art, in 2015. The artist received his PhD in Medieval studies RA from University of Barcelona, Barcelona, in 2021.

Selected exhibitions include: Mute, Tara Downs, New York, US (2024); Notes Toward a Shell, Tara Downs, New York, US (2024); Shape of times, Yi Gallery, HangZhou, CN (2021); China Federation of Literary and Art Circles Art Fund Young Art Talent Project, Beijing, CN (2018); National Arts Fund Young Art Talents Rolling Funding Project (2018); Back to Sensibility, Contemporary Art New Year’s Eve Exhibition (2017).

This website uses cookies
This site uses cookies to help make it more useful to you. Please contact us to find out more about our Cookie Policy.

Manage cookies

Focus: Pei Wang

Workplace is pleased to launch the latest instalment of Focus, a series of presentations in the which the practice of artists at early stages of their career and new to the gallery programme are introduced through a body of work, curated specifically for each presentation.

Wang will be presenting a solo exhibition at Workplace, London in October 2024 to coincide with Frieze London.

WG: You originally trained as a sculptor, can you talk about what drew you to painting as medium and how your training in sculpture has shaped your work today?

When I first entered the sculpture department, it was completely unfamiliar to me. It felt more like an application technology class, especially with the sports anatomy, kinesiology, and materials science involved in the foundational stages of sculpting the human body.

After that, I began paying more attention to the subtle changes in form and expressions of emotions in painting and sculpture.

– Pei Wang, 2024

WG: You use casein tempera in your work, how do you prepare this and how does it differ from more conventional materials such as oil or acrylic?

The use of this technique comes from the Northern Netherlands School of Painting in the early Renaissance. I didn't realise the superiority of this method at first, but when I saw a copy of Raphael’s early Roman murals 10 years ago, it spoke to me and I attempted to learn this myself.

– Pei Wang, 2024

WG: Your paintings bring together both beauty in a traditional sense and also something disquieting, almost abject - is this intended and if so, can you expand upon this.

However, as a painter, one must recognise the reality that narrative conveyed through images is far less efficient and precise compared to literature, music, and films. One of the most special essences of painting lies in its material's sensory experience.

WG: What are your influences outside of fine art? For example cinema, music, literature or philosophy.

Speaking of architecture, I usually am not particularly interested in the form of buildings; I am more interested in space, proportion, material craftsmanship, and the connection with the surrounding environment. My favorite architects are Carlo Scarpa and Aldo Rossi.

– Pei Wang, 2024

Cookie preferences

Join our mailing list

viewing room

Please check your email