Mengyi Wang

Mengyi Wang is a magical realism painter who has exhibited in the United States, China, and the United Kingdom. Recent exhibitions include Guoce International Convention and Exhibition Center, Shangyuan Art Museum, Container Art Museum, STARPARK, Sunshine International Museum, and Songzhuang Art Life Plaza, all in Beijing, and Yorba Linda Cultural Arts Center in California. Mengyi’s awards are extensive and include recognitions and honours from Contemporary Art Pioneer Award from Splendid China Traditional Art Exhibition & Evaluation Organizing Committee and Hainan TV (China), and Industry Pioneer Award from the National Artists Association (Canada). She has been published by VoyageLA Magazine, Goddessarts Magazine, Bold Journey Magazine, and Al-Tiba9 Contemporary...

Although technically a magical realist, Mengyi Wang paintings reflect neo-impressionist applications. Based on vast portions of negative space, fantastical dream-like colors, and painting techniques based on both drybrush and palette knife usage, the paintings can be described as planes which are based in fantasy from an expressive perspective. Often depicting cloudy skies penetrated by rays of sunlight, frolicing birds in the distance, and fauna as well as florals such as wisteria and lavender, her paintings are a study in pleasant experiences with nature which offer an escape from the machination chaos of contemporary society.

Typically depicting pastel and neon colors, such as magenta and hot pink, Mengyi Wang interprets the landscape not based on reality but rather reflected on creating an enchanted realm which could only exist in our dreams. Her application of rich purples, magentas, and pinks in the eerie yet optimistic open sky fill up most of her compositions. These works convey painting as a vehicle based in mystique and reflecting on molding observations of nature into the personal fantastical whims of a vivid imagination. Mengyi Wang transports the viewer into an enchanted plane not only through her imagery, but also through her application of paint containing thick impasto which seems almost pastry-like, especially with the flamboyant colors and fluffy texture which seem like the dye and icing on a cake.

Summer in Bloom (pictured above) represents Mengyi Wang’s most experimental works. The piece reflects uncertainty and the florals seem almost like pastry-based abstractions. Much like Alice in Wonderland, we contemplate on the wonders and consequences of experiencing these tasty landscapes. The negative space with ambiguity in the painting could be interpreted as open sky or water and the florals could be indeed be placed on mountainous rock or lily pads. By offering an indirect approach, Summer in Bloom redefines the purpose of magical realism in contemporary art.

With a sustained practice in a unique imagination, Mengyi Wang creates fantastical paintings of enchanted landscapes which could only be imagined the books of Jules Verne or Lewis Carroll. The often large-scale of these paintings create imposing compositions of negative space caked in rich impasto textures of purple, magenta, and pinkish skies across planes which contain innocent small birds and imaginative fauna as well as flora. Through these paintings, Mengyi Wang reveals a dimension basked in questioning reality and an avenue for the viewer to escape the confines of contemporary existence.

https://www.mengyigracewang.com