9 Questions with JIANNAN WU

Jiannan Wu, (1990 Dalian, China), is a young artist specializing in figurative sculpture.

His art prominently features the theme of people's daily life narratively. Selfie Series is about the selfie phenomenon among the young generation, Subway Series presents different subway scenes in the New York metropolitan area, and the current ongoing Country Love series restores the country life in Northeast of China. In his sculptures, the artist expresses his love for life and his faith in humanity by conveying the interest and vitality of people's daily lives in a humorous and realistic style. Jiannan Wu considers himself a storyteller, solidifying an ongoing segment of the story scene into tableaux and inserting corresponding interest and thinking.

The relationship between two-dimensional images and three-dimensional sculptures is of the artist's interest, so he adopts relief for most of his works with resin, making them a combination of paintings and sculptures. The exploration of perspective in relief appeals to him, that is, how to use perspective and color to express the sense of the infinite depth of space in the compressed reliefs.

He is the Elected Member of the American National Sculpture Society and member of the American Medallic Sculpture Association. Jiannan Wu received his BFA Degree in Sculpture from China Academy of Art and his MFA Degree in Sculpture from the New York Academy of Art. Jiannan Wu is the recipient of the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation grant and the winner of the 2017 edition of the Dexter Jones Award presented by the American National Sculpture Society. He is selected as 2020 AACYF Top 30 Under 30, presented by All America Chinese Youth Federation. His works have also been displayed on numerous exhibitions at renowned venues such as Accesso Gallery in Italy, Gallery Poulsen, and Art Herning in Denmark, the Sotheby's, Art Miami, and Art New York in America, Chongqing Contemporary Art Museum in China, etc. Jiannan Wu was interviewed by China Central Television international channel (CCTV) and American SinoVision. His works and artistic achievements have been published in The New York Times, The China Press, People's Daily China, The Paper, Hi-Fructose Magazine, T(here) Magazine, Artrepreneur, etc.

www.jiannanwu.com | @jiannan_wu

How would you define yourself as an artist?

I am a visual artist specializing in figurative sculpture. I incorporate different interests in my work. I'm currently working on a series of realism and narrative reliefs in the theme of contemporary urban life.

What kind of education or training helped you develop your skillset?

From the age of 13 to 19, I studied in a local art middle school in Dalian, where half of the day's classes are art courses. During those years, I received a lot of drawing and color training, including figures drawing and still life painting from life, Plein air painting, and others. Thousands of drawings of portraits were made during that period. When I went to the China Academy of Art, I began to get involved in sculpture. In those years, I also did a lot of figure sculpting and drawing from life, mainly studying the structure and anatomy of human bodies and realism technique. The traditional realistic training in those years has laid a solid foundation for me., The good modeling skill acquired from those training becomes a handy tool for me, making me more at ease in creation.

What experience of your life would you say that is reflected in your works of art?

My New York Subway series was created from my life in New York City over the past several years. I came to New York from China to study in 2014, and a completely different cultural environment had a great impact on me at that time. I was shocked by the mess when I took the New York subway for the first time; then, it became more interesting to me through my daily encounters with it. The New York Subway is like a miniature world, and also a microcosm of the city: passengers from various countries and ethnic backgrounds speaking a variety of languages, belonging to a variety of jobs and occupations, each carrying their own stories, step into a narrow train car. They come into the most true sense of contact with each other. They occupy the same space for but a brief moment, moving together before going their separate ways. After getting off the train, perhaps these people of a serendipitous encounter will never come together again; and maybe those who have come together, again and again, sharing a commute along the same path, will become familiar strangers. Or perhaps with a fateful chance, they will break this estrangement and walk into each other's lives. So I began to use the language of sculpture to present what I see as the raucous restlessness and the exuberant vitality of urban life.

The "Country Love" series I am currently creating comes from some of my feelings and memories of my early life in northeast China. I was born and grew up in northeast China, so I was immersed in its unique culture since childhood. I was especially influenced by some performing arts such as sketch comedy and TV shows with northeast characteristics. Thus, In this series of sculptures, I present "people" and "objects" in contemporary rural China from different angles to show the country culture in northeast China. Especially the changes and new social relations out of the collision between foreign pop culture and the local traditional customs, and the anxiety about the localism and identity since the 1990s.

Your work illustration daily life stories from the crowded New York subway stations to the selfies phenomenon. It combines a 2-Dimensional narration in a 3-dimensional environment. Could you tell us about this creative process? How do you successfully express your intentions?

Maybe it's because I've been painting since I was a kid, the relationship between two-dimensional images and three-dimensional sculptures is of interest to me. So I adopt relief for most of my works with resin, making them a combination of paintings and sculptures in some way. Relief is a suitable format to present the space, provide better-concentrated experience, and engage the viewer in an unfolding narrative. A good composition is key to great relief. The composition here is not only planar but also spatial. Therefore, before each work, I will study the composition of many masters' works and make a lot of sketches on the paper. Once the sketch is done, I begin to mud the boards and work it into shape. The grasp of perspective is also important in this process. The exploration of perspective in relief appeals to me, that is, how to use each line, surface, and color to express the sense of the infinite depth of space in the compressed reliefs. In this way, I'm playing a little game using compressed spatial volume to make some illusion, which is different from the traditional three-dimensional sculptures. 

If I use water-based clay at the beginning of the creation, I will make a silicone mold to turn the work into a resin material after finishing sculpting. For some small pieces, I start with polymer clay to bake them directly when I complete the sculpting. Some of the works have LED lighting projected internally to enhance the dramatic tension and sculptural nature.

I believe solid foundation and skills are the premise of all visual art and the guarantee for artists to express their intentions accurately. Otherwise, it's just swashbuckling simulation and self-congratulation.

What do you see as the strengths of your pieces, visually or conceptually?

Visually. The visual presentation relies on one's talent, while the concept is based on experience. 

What do you hope that the public takes away from your work?

First, it is a visual pleasure and fun, like the first bite of delicious food. Secondly, I hope my works can be like a window so that viewers can see the different cultures and lifestyles represented and supported behind it. 

How do you see the project evolving in the next five years?

I can't currently tell. My work has always followed my interests, which are always changing. I will do a solo exhibition in New York or China after finishing the "Country Love" series this year, and then start working in a new direction. The new works may be more Pop and surrealism, with 3D printing technology. I have always been interested in 3D printing, and I think it is also the general trend of the future.

Any shows, galleries, or publications where our readers can find your work?

You can find and purchase my works in Accesso Galleria, Pietrasanta, Italy, and on its website. You can also check out two recent exhibitions I participated in (1) "2020 Vision" ，curated by David Kratz and Stephanie Roach, at the Southampton Arts Center, on view July 25 – December 27 and (2) Summer Exhibition (virtual exhibition) at until August 22, 2020. 

Jiannan, Share something you would like the world to know about you?

I'm a New York-based young artist specializing in sculpture. Currently. I'm the Elected Member of the American National Sculpture Society and a member of the American Medallic Sculpture Association. My current works consist of three series and feature the theme of people's daily life narratively. Selfie Series is about the selfie phenomenon among the young generation, Subway Series presents different subway scenes in the New York metropolitan area, and the current ongoing Country Love series restores the country life in Northeast of China. If you are interested in my works, please check my website or on my Instagram.