Born in Shanghai and raised in Canada and the United States
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE
2007 -2009 The Armory Art Center, West Palm Beach, Florida with Chris Ricardo and Brian Sommerville (sculpture) and Helen Otterson (glass casting)
2006 - 2007 New York Academy of Art, New York City with Harvey Citron and Cynthia Eardley
1968 - 2006 Fashion Designer (occupation) in New York City
1966 - 1968 Parsons School of Design, Fashion Design, New York City
1963 - 1966 University of Michigan, Architecture
EXHIBITIONS
June 2011 GlassWeekend’11, “Rising Star”, Millville, NJ
Dec. 2010 April 2011, Stewart Fine Art, Boca Raton, FL - Group Show "Glass & More"
Oct. 2010 National Liberty Museum Auction, Philadelphia, PA - “Glass Now 2010”
Dec. 2009 April 2010, Stewart Fine Art, Boca Raton, FL - Group Show "Simple Addition and Subtraction"
Oct. 2009 The Armory Art Center - Juried Exhibition -” Artistic Visions”
Jul. 2009 The Armory Art Center - “Premiere Warm Glass Presentation”
Mar. 2009 The Armory Art Center - Juried Exhibition - Teapot Show
Feb. 2009 The Armory Art Center - Juried Exhibition - Glass Sculpture - First Place
Feb. 2008 The Armory Art Center - Juried Exhibition - Ceramic Sculpture - 2nd Place
2005 & 2003 The 16th and 18th Annual Greater Midwest International Exhibitions at Central Missouri State University Art Center Gallery
PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
Arnold & Ruth Peskin, Philadelphia, PA
Chester & Joan Luby - Palm Beach, FL
Kenneth Elias & David Yeselsky - Palm Beach, FL
Pam Hogan - New York, NY
Bob Halper & Marilyn Bardo - New York, NY
Susan Gill - New York, NY
Dee Dempsey - St. Louis Park, MN
Tony Chan - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Robert & Daphne Fessler - Palm Beach, FL
John & Henni Kessler - Palm Beach, FL
Bud & Debbie Menin, Boca Raton, FL
Leah Tempkin, Boca Raton, FL
Kimberly Margolis, Boca Raton, FL
Edward & Eleanor Epstein, Boca Raton, FL
Roberta Franklin, New York, NY
Jules & Connie Kay, Rydal, PA
Sheldon & Penny Bernick, Philadelphia, PA
Toby & Sandy Franklin, Cincinnati, OH
Henry & Linda Wasserstein, Franklin Lakes, NJ
Dennis & Barbara DuBois, Dallas, TX
Jonathan & Darcie Crystal, New York, NY
Richard & Louise Abrahams, Highland Park, IL
Sam & Ruth Karpman, Cote Saint Luc, Quebec, Canada
Ralph & Ruth Delman, Boca Raton, FL
Sam & Nancy Kunin, Tarzana, CA
David Beckerman, New Haven, CT
Michael & Audrey Dann, Boca Raton, FL
Daniel Tenn, Scottsdale, AZ
Maurice & Margery Katz, Los Angeles, CA
Irving & Elaine Baker, Boca Raton, FL
Arnold & Marilyn Lampert, Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Gerald & Ruth Legow, Livingston, NJ
Harvey & Cheryl Lapin, Northbrook, IL
Neil & Cheryl Schlackman, Jupiter, FL
Mel & Nettie Weiner, New York, NY
Larry & Rita Sibrack, Naples, FL
Mr & Mrs Claude Roy, Longueuil, Quebec, Canada
Jeff & Linda Serman, Franklin, MI
Elaine Finkelstein, Delray Beach, FL
Sonny Stewart, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Raphiel Diamond, Atlantic Beach, NY
Bernard & Ethel Garil, Delray Beach, FL
Harold & Erma Brode, Boca Raton, FL
Dani Sonnenblick, Boca Raton, FL
Mark & Ellie Lainer, Encino, CA
Mike & Elaine Adler, Boca Raton, FL
Richard & Polly VanDernoot, Wellesley, MA
Nancy & Alan Lasser, Winnetka, IL
Linda Greene & Neal Blankinship, Dallas,TX
Mark Weissberg, Florham Park, NJ
Edward & Florence Paley, Boca Raton, FL
Bruce & Carol Morse, Mill Valley, CA
Norman & Jane Jacobs, New York, NY
Joe & Anna Mendel, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Ralph & Dena Lowenbach, South Orange, NJ
Gary & Diane Wyner, West Bloomfield, MI
Marshall & Lita Weinstein, Riverwood, IL
Leon & Elaine Schiffman, Roslyn, NY
Sharon Karmazin, Boca Raton, FL
Jay Weinberg & Marilyn Simon, Boca Raton, FL
Roberto & Isabel Madrazo, Sunny Isles Beach, FL
2011 Hardcover book produced by Stewart Fine Art. A comprehensive survey of the body of work Vivian Wang created from February, 2009 to October, 2011.
ARTIST
STATEMENT
My work has always been figurative, inspired by antique Asian figures. Initially, I used female images, combining traditional figures with contemporary elements, but now my more recent work includes both male and female as the image base. In the same way that, as an Asian-American I have come from one culture and live in another, so my work has a traditional source but discusses contemporary issues.
Part of my interest in the figure comes from my extensive experience as a New York fashion designer. As a result of my understanding of clothing, many of my sculptures exhibit very detailed garments and distinctive textile patterning.
In a recent body of work, Invisible People, I am motivated by experiences from my own life, focusing on the many ordinary people who drift by unobserved. The titles are instructive: Plain Jane and Shrinking Violet are catch phrases for underdogs and imply anonymity. By using glass components I can create figures with almost intangible features, portraying people who essentially have no expression and no outward manifestation of interior feeling. The material mimics this condition perfectly; transparent glass for apparently transparent lives.
Another aspect of this series is represented by my portrayal of historical figures, the Tang Ladies. The titles here are also instructive, Precious Me and Goddess, exemplifying vanity. The early Tang Dynasty (about 650 a.d.) was a golden era in China during which women reached the very height of sophistication and fashion. The sculptures of this period are so highly stylized that there is an almost total obliteration of the individual face and personality. Portrayals of women were all created in the likeness of Yang Gufei, the Emperor Taizong’s favorite Imperial concubine. The individual unique personalities of all other women in that period disappeared. They were invisible.
The Invisible People series also includes Corporate Ladies, Ragamuffin Children, Warriors and Geishas, each of which addresses another facet of anonymity.