David Wang

Lives and works in Chicago, IL, USA

Artist statement

There are two ideas that sum up my foundational motivations in art. Greatness lies not in the heights of heaven nor the depths of hell, but in the struggle between the two. True optimism is not blind: it is not the dismissal of problems, but the confrontation of problems out of the belief that triumph is possible. In my work, from the political to the personal, I explore that point between triumph and failure, where we often recognize the general direction towards a better paradigm but not always how to get there. I want us to recognize the existence of our worst impulses, but only in the service of overcoming them to reach our best potential. Because of this, some people might attribute a hint of pessimism in my work, much the same way they might accuse naysayers, whistleblowers, and protestors of undue cynicism. But I believe that this cannot be further from the truth, as only those with the optimism to believe that a problem is solvable would ever bother to sound alarms and galvanize action in the first place.

Artwork