Frank WANG Yefeng
Frank WANG Yefeng is an artist based in Providence, RI, USA.
Photography by Elise Kirk
Frank WANG Yefeng is one of ArtConnect’s Artists to Watch '21.
Frank WANG Yefeng is an experimental animator and interdisciplinary artist based in New York, NY, and Providence, RI. He works across various media, including 3D animation, video installation, VR, sculpture, and writing. Yefeng's latest research scrutinizes the identities immersed in self-negotiation, the establishment of nomadic subjectivities, and the possibilities of conceiving new imaginations for Sinophone communities. Leaving his place of origin at a young age, the memories of moving from being a migrant to a nomad leads him to investigate the transformation of emotions and the inbetween states that occur in both virtual and physical realms. The estrangement of origin and the absence of home turn the space of "inbetweenness" into Yefeng's constant dwelling. His work embraces a poetic combined reality as a multicultural individual during this process, while various forms of stereotypes are confronted and questioned.
Sophie Arni
Curator
“Frank WANG Yefeng is an artist who breaks away from stereotypical categorization. His ingenious 3D animations and videos are imbued with humor distinctive of high-low postmodern conversations. From popular references to cartoons and bubble letters, Wang creates polished sculptures and immersive installations about nomadism, in-betweenness, and the human touch in the era of technology. He works across typically ephemeral and deeply interactive media, such as mirrors, videos, and billboards. The result is a body of work that puts the audience at the center in both physical shape and digital form, making his work accessible to both tourists and purists.”
ArtConnect asked the winning artists to share with us a glimpse into their creative life to get a sense of their personal inspiration and artistic process.
How did you get started as an artist?
When I was a kid, my parents started finding my doodles everywhere (on paper, walls, tabletops, etc.)...
How would you describe your artistic approach?
Trial and error and always keep an open mind to new possibilities.
Frank WANG Yefeng working on a project
And how about what inspires you?
Other artists, lectures, films, very old blues music, Travis Picking, books, philosophy, theories, a discursive sentence in a paragraph, a chat, people and myself, a random event in the street, etc... The aforementioned items are not in a particular order and are non-exclusive.
What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced as an artist?
My day job.
Frank WANG Yefeng’s studio
Describe a typical day in the studio or wherever you make your work.
I have moved to many different studios over the past decade. Some are short-term rentals, and others are provided by the residency programs I've participated in. Like having a pet, a stable studio is a luxury as I travel a lot. But wherever I go, I carry the essential component of my studio - my laptops. My backpack is always heavy because of the laptops (usually 2 in the bag) and multiple hard drives. They make my work possible.
Is there a medium, a process, or a technique that you haven't used in your work yet but would like to try out?
Oil painting.
What are you currently working on? Or an upcoming project you want to mention?
Currently "working on" my "winter vacation." Hopefully, it won't be too busy.
How does it feel to be selected as an ArtConnect Artist to Watch?
Very happy while knowing there is still a lot of work to do.
Anything else you want to add?
My gratitude
See more of Frank’s work
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