V I V I A N WA N G SISTERS AND BROTHERS
SISTERS AND BROTHERS
IMAGINING THE LIVES OF ROYAL CHILDREN By Kim Harty
Vivian Wang’s exhibition “Brothers and Sisters” continues the
artist’s journey of creating figurative sculptures that tell stories of
pre-modern Asia. Her adorned doll-like figures ignite the viewer’s imagination, sparking images of ornamental palaces, vibrant
festivals, and fantastical folklore. Though her portraits are formal in many ways—her figures are posed, and carefully arranged
and rendered—they also create a particular intimacy between the viewer and the subject. In “Brothers and Sisters,” a tenderness
accompanies each of the works, which represent small moments in the lives of the characters she sculpts.
For “Brothers and Sisters,” Wang has created pieces with multiple full-sized figures for the first time. These scenes, as opposed to her previous single portraits, bring the characters’ narratives to
life through the relationships between the figures and the stories
that accompany them. In Monkey Tails, two children, adorned in
robes inspired by the 10th-century Song Dynasty, sit smiling along with their eldest sibling, who holds a doll of the Monkey King, Sun
Wukong. The scene portrays a warm moment among siblings who are immersed in a fantastical story.
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While Monkey Tails is light-hearted, other sculptures grapple
with the transitory nature of childhood and the serious role that
children played in China’s history. Brothers shows Zhao Shi and
Zhao Bing sitting together in contentment, unaware of the tragedy that will soon end the Song Dynasty (960–1279). At the age of
nine, after being named emperor of the failing dynasty, the older brother, Zhao Shi, died after almost drowning while fleeing the
Mongols. Zhao Bing was then named emperor. After the Mongols defeated the last of Song forces at the battle of Yamen, Zhao
Bing’s guardian, Lu Xiufu—holding the seven-year-old emperor in his arms—leapt to his death, marking the end of the Song
Dynasty. Brothers shows the two siblings in ornamental robes and
sitting side by side, sharing, perhaps, their final carefree moments
together and showing the final posturing of an empire under siege. The role of women is explored in Big Sister, which shows two
daughters of the Qianlong Emperor (1711–1799), both born to
different mothers. Jia, thirteen, sits with He Jing, aged two, on her lap. Each wears traditional Qing dress. This sculpture captures a
moment of innocence and care between two young sisters whose magical childhood will quickly be usurped by their dynastic
duties. As daughters of the emperor they will soon grow up and be married off to Manchu high officials, helping to secure the stability of the Qing empire.
Two of Wang’s sculptures, Big Brother and Sisters, allude to
Japanese culture. In each, the figures are wearing traditional garb and celebrate a Japanese festival, or Matsuri. These festivals,
like the large dance festival Awa Odori, are still celebrated today. The figures in each sculpture are timeless—they could depict a historical character or a modern-day person.
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Though Wang draws on historical stories and motifs, each
sculpture is imbued with the artist’s sense of imagination and fantasy. Wang’s use of materials—the ethereal glass and
ceramic clothing meticulously decorated with gemstones—gives each figure an otherworldly, dreamlike presence. Wang draws inspiration from events in Chinese and Japanese history, and
brings the magic of court culture to life through the ornamental dress of her figures. The child characters in “Brothers and
Sisters” embrace a new set of narratives for Wang. Significantly, in these new works, Wang begins to explore the stories and
thoughts of her characters, provoking the viewer to imagine the lives of the figures before them.
Vivian Wang was born in Shanghai, China, and raised in Canada and the United States. She studied architecture at the University
of Michigan and fashion design at the Parsons School of Design in New York. Wang was a fashion designer for more than thirty years, before deciding to shift her career and begin making
glass and ceramic sculpture. Wang was particularly inspired by Akio Takamori’s sculptures, which she encountered by chance in Garth Clark’s Gallery on West 57th Street in New York. Her
first solo show of glass and ceramic work was at Stewart Fine
Art Gallery in Boca Raton, Florida, in 2009. Wang joined Habatat Gallery in 2012. Wang’s work is phenomenally popular and
highly sought after, and she has been included in more than thirty exhibitions at Habatat Gallery since 2012. Wang’s work is in the permanent collection of the Imagine Museum, St. Petersburg, Florida; the Barry Art Museum, Norfolk, Virginia; Fort Wayne Museum, Indiana; and the Boca Raton Museum of Art.
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BIG SISTER, 2018 28H x 13W x 13D Cast Glass, Stoneware, Gemstones, Steel Base
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BIG SISTER The Qianlong Emperor (1711-1799) was the sixth emperor of the Qing Dynasty. He ruled China from 1735 to 1796. Among his ten daughters were He Jia and He Jing. He Jia was the daughter of the Imperial Noble Consort Chun Hui. He Jing’s mother was the Empress Xiao Yi Chun. “Big Sister” portrays these girls when one was thirteen and the other 2 years old. They are shown in a formal court pose, wearing imperial Qing dresses decorated with elaborate wide collar bibs and narrow skirts. Discrepancies in the ages of daughters and sons was common as the Emperor begat children with many women, including his wife, the Empress, several step Empresses without titles and many Noble Consorts or concubines. Any one of their sons could be chosen by the Emperor to be his successor. As for imperial daughters, the emperors usually married them to Manchu high officials or to the elite of other ethnic groups in order to buy support and cooperation. Imperial daughters thus played a significant role in shaping Qing territory and stabilizing Manchu rule.
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BIG BROTHER 24H x 27W x 8D Cast Glass, Stoneware, Gemstones, Steel Base
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BIG BROTHER “Big Brother� portrays a young girl and her older brother watching the spectacle of a Japanese Festival. Their kimonos were designed to emulate the festival costumes of the dancers. Japanese Festivals, Matsuri, were elaborate celebrations with spectacular displays of costume, color and age-old ritual. Participants would summon the gods down to earth to mingle and rejoice with them. Even today, Japan enjoys more festivals than any other country in the world.
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MONKEY TALES, 2018 24H x 33W x 15D Cast Glass, Stoneware, Gemstones, Steel Base
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MONKEY TALES The three children portrayed are fromposing the 17th Qing Dynasty. China wastells then under “Monkey Tales” portrays three siblings for century their court portrait as the eldest Manchurian with aofculture that heavily theholding fashionher of the time. doll, The little boy stories from therule legends the Monkey King. influenced She is shown monkey a is wearing a tunic an “apron” front. The elder sister is wearing a dress with a large “bib representation of Sunwith Wukong, the Monkey King. yoke” and the younger sister a garment featuring a prominent asymmetrical neckline. These The Monkey King is featured in a body of legends which can be traced to the Song were all very popular styles during the Qing Dynasty. Dynasty in the 10th century. According to one legend, Sun Wukong was born from a stone and acquired deity-like supernatural powers. He was immortal and had command over the heavens and seas and other animals. One of the most enduring Chinese literary characters, Sun Wukong has a varied background and colorful cultural history.
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KABUKI QUEEN, 2018 28H x 13W x 11D Cast Glass, Stoneware, Gemstones, Steel Base
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KABUKI QUEEN For some time now, my work has been heavily influenced by the costumes of Kabuki theater, stylized dance-dramas reflecting ancient Japanese culture. Kabuki performances, often 3 or 4 hours long, tell stories of romance and morality. Begun in the 17th century, Kabuki is still performed today. For me, the lavish costumes are its most stunning characteristic. In ancient
times, as well as today, no expense is spared in creating elaborate and extravagant costumes, often with gold and silver thread. Kabuki theater today is dominated by 68-year-old actor, Bando Tamasaburo. A celebrated “Onnagata,” an actor specializing in female roles, he is currently the most popular Kabuki performer in Japan and internationally. After viewing hundreds of photos of Bando dressed in beautiful and flamboyant costumes on the Kabuki stage, I created “Kabuki Queen,” a luxurious piece embodying elegance and drama. In addition to gemstones, I have now added gold leaf as a way to give even more opulence to my sculpture. “Kabuki Queen” is the first of my new Diva series.
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SISTERS, 2018 24H x 22W x 11D Cast Glass, Stoneware, Gemstones, Steel Base
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SISTERS “Sisters� portrays two young ladies sporting ornate hats and bicolor kimono sleeves similar to those of festival dancers. The sisters are dressed to attend the Awa Adori Festival, the largest dance festival in Japan, attracting over 1.3 million tourists every year. A great many of the Japanese festivals, Matsuri, celebrate rice growing, the very foundation of Japanese culture. Others honor the guardian deities of clans, villages, towns and districts. Hundreds of dancers and musicians participated in these festivals where groups as large as 100 would dance in unison along the streets of towns and cities. Dressed in colorful costumes and hats, they would dance for hours at a time.
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BROTHERS “Brothers” portrays two child emperors during the downfall of the Song Dynasty (9601279) in ancient China. Their father, Emperor Gong, surrendered to the Mongol Empire in 1276 after the fall of the Song capital, Linan. Zhao Shi and his seventh brother, Zhao Bing, escaped southward to Fujian Province. Zhao Shi was then enthroned as the new emperor. In 1278, while fleeing from the Mongols again, Zhao Shi almost drowned falling from a ship and died of illness soon after. This occurred in 1278 when he was 9 years old. He was succeeded by his brother, Zhao Bing. There was much turmoil and battles during Zhao Bing’s short reign. On March 19, 1279, after realizing all was lost, Lu Xiufu, Zhao Bing’s guardian, carried the emperor Zhao Bing to a cliff where they committed suicide by throwing themselves into the sea. Zhao Bings death marked the end of the song Dynasty. He was 7 years old.
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BROTHERS, 2018 Cast Glass, Stoneware, Gemstones, Steel Base
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