About the artist

Yeqiang Wang is currently an Associate Professor of Art at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. He achieved his MFA degree at the School of Visual Arts, University of Windsor in Windsor Canada in 2000 and his B.F.A. degree at Sichuan Institute of Fine Arts in Chongqing China in 1991.

artist statement

When I read about the novel Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There by the English writer Lewis Carroll, I was fascinated. In the story Alice wonders what the world is like behind the reflected scene on a mirror surface. To her surprise, she is able to pass through this mirror to experience an alternate world. The story is regarded as “literary nonsense” by some people, but makes a lot of sense to me. When I was a teenager I always wanted to see the world. Not until I was 33 years old did I make the long trek from China to North America to explore my “wonderland”. Although I thought I was psychologically ready for a new move, what I have experienced in North America was a lot of cultural shock: different language, different tradition, different value system and so on. I was confused and annoyed for some time at first. Then, I started to embrace my confusion and use it as the inspiration for my paintings. Frankly speaking, even though I have been here for thirteen years, I’m still experiencing difficulties in perceiving the whole picture of the new culture, as if there were a piece of glass between the world and me. In my “Reflection” painting series, I use newly-made friends here as subjects and the glass window as a metaphor to reflect my fragmented impression of this new culture, which is sometimes clear and sometimes blurry. The fragmented images look surreal, just like Alice’s experience in wonderland. Likewise, I have created a new “wonderland” where I can wander, learn and grow.

Awards

2016    Honorable Mention, The National Juried Exhibition, Art at the Center,

            Overland Park, Kansas

2016    Cash Award, The 47th Annual Smoky Hill Art Exhibition, Hays Arts Council,

            Hays, Kansas

2011    President's Choice, Kansans Paint Kansas Art Competition, Topeka Art Guild,

            Topeka, Kansas

2011    Honorable Mention, The 15th Annual “Line into Shapes” Art Competition &

            Sale, Art Center of Estes Park, Estes Park, Colorado

2011    The Fourth Prize, The Third Annual Figurative Drawing & Painting Exhibition,

            Lore Degenstein Gallery, Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania

2011    Cash Award, The 42nd Annual Smoky Hill Art Competition and Exhibition,

            Hays Arts Council, Hays, Kansas

2010    Excellent Award, The 41st Annual Smoky Hill Art Competition and

            Exhibition, Hays Arts Council, Hays, Kansas

2009    Juror’s Merit Recognition, The 40th Annual Smoky Hill Art Competition and

            Exhibition, Hays Arts Council, Hays, Kansas

2007    Shae Cash Award, The 38th Annual Smoky Hill Art Competition and

            Exhibition, Hays Arts Council, Hays, Kansas

2006    Award of Excellence, Northern National Art Competition, Northern Arts

            Council, Rhinelander, Wisconsin

2006    Anita Bengtson Memorial Cash Award, Kansas Watercolor Society Great 8

            Exhibition, Wichita Art Museum, Wichita, Kansas

2006    Juror’s Merit Recognition, The 37th Annual Smoky Hill Art Exhibition, Hays

            Arts Council, Hays, Kansas

2005   Honorable Mention, Combined Talents: the 20th Annual International

           Competition, Museum of Fine Arts, Florida State University, Tallahassee,

           Florida

2005   Tucker and nation Meyer Cash Award, Kansas Watercolor Society Great 8

           Exhibition, Wichita Art Museum, Wichita, Kansas

2005   Third Place, The Eighth National Juried Art Exhibition, the Baker Arts Center,

           Liberal, Kansas

2000   Outstanding Canadian Work prize, The Fourth International Watercolor

           Biennial, Mexico

1998   Bronze medal, The 4th National Watercolor & Gouache Exhibition,

           Qingdao/Beijing, China

1997   Bronze medal, The 7th Chinese Watercolor Exhibition, Chongqing/Chengdu,

           China

1996   Bronze medal, The 3rd National Watercolor & Gouache Exhibition,

           Beijing/Beihai, China

1996   Excellent Work prize, Sichuan Art Exhibition, Chengdu, China

1995   Second Prize, Sichuan Art Exhibition, Chengdu, China

1994   Excellent Work prize, Sichuan Art Exhibition, Chengdu, China

Solo shows

2016     Ye Wang Landscape Exhibition, MLB Designs & Boutique, Kansas City, MO

2015     New Watercolors, MLB Designs & Boutique, Kansas City, Missouri

2014     Reflections, Nexlynx, Topeka, Kansas

2014     Return to Classicism, Upstage Gallery, Topeka, Kansas

2011     “Reflections”, P.E.O. Foundation Gallery, Cottey College, Nevada, Missouri

2010     “Reflections”, Sandzen Gallery, Lindsborg, Kansas

2009     “ Through the Looking-Glass”, Moss-Thorns Gallery of Art, Fort Hays State

             University, Hays, Kansas

2008     Ye Wang Painting Exhibition, Cloister Gallery of Grace Cathedral, Topeka,

             Kansas

2007     “Reflections”, Barton County Arts Council, Great Bend, Kansas

2007     Oils and Watercolors by Ye Wang, Hays Arts Council, Hays, Kansas

2006     “Reflections”, Mercer Gallery, Garden City Community College, Kansas

2005     “Visual Diary”, Carnegie Arts Center, Dodge City, Kansas

2004     “Portals”, Little Theater, Dodge City Community College, Kansas

2003     “Reflections”, Artcite Gallery, Windsor, Ontario, Canada

2003     “Sound of Nature”, Artspeak Gallery, Windsor, Ontario

2002     “Northern Landscapes”, Common Ground Gallery, Windsor, Ontario, Canada

2001     “Windsor Paints”, Mackenzie Hall, Windsor, Canada

2001     "Windsor Diary", Common Ground Gallery, Windsor, Ontario, Canada

2000     "New Wor(l)ds, LeBel Gallery, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario,

             Canada

2000     "Country Scapes", Leamington Arts Centre, Ontario, Canada

group shows

2016   People We Know, Beauchamp Gallery, Topeka, KS

2016    The 47th Annual Smoky Hills Art Exhibition, Hays Arts Council, Hays, KS

2016    The National Juried Show, Art at the Center, Overland Park, Kansas

2015    Paintings of Flint Hills, Flint Hills Discovery Center, Manhattan, Kansas

2015    Washburn Art Faculty Show, Mulvane Art Museum, Topeka, Kansas

2015    Watercolors, Beauchamp Gallery, Topeka, Kansas

2015    Our Beloved Land, Strecker-Nelson Gallery, Manhattan, Kansas

2015    Reviving the Past, Alice C. Sabatini Gallery, Topeka, Kansas

2015    Sky Above, Earth Below, Strecker-Nelson Gallery, Manhattan, Kansas

2015    Flint Hills Masters, Flint Hills Discovery Center, Manhattan, Kansas

2014    Collision and Confluence: Chinese-American Art Faculty Exhibition, Asian

            Cultural Center, New York City, New York

2014    The Sixth Annual Figurative Drawing and Painting Exhibition, The Lore

             Degenstein Gallery, Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, PA

2014    The National Juried Show, Art at the Center, Overland Park, Kansas

2014    All Photography Online Art Exhibition

www.lightspacetime.com/all-photography-art-exhibition-special-merit/

2014    Across the Divide Tour Show, Oklahoma State University

2014    Across the Divide Tour Show, Southwest Oklahoma State University

2013    Across the Divide Tour Show, Missouri State University

2013    Through the Artists' Eyes, Flint Hills Discovery Center, Manhattan, Kansas

2013    The 30th Annual Five-State Photography Exhibition, Hays Arts Council, Hays,

            Kansas

2013    Flint Hills Masters, Strecker-Nelson Gallery, Manhattan, Kansas

2013    Kansans Portrait Show, Beauchamp Gallery, Topeka, Kansas

2012    Where We Are: Tectonic Shifts and Dissolution of Boundaries, a national

             juried exhibition of contemporary art in all media, DeLuce Gallery, Northwest

             Missouri State University, Maryville, Missouri

2012    The Green Exhibition, Art at the Center Gallery, Overland Park, Kansas

2012    The Juried Show, Art At the Center Gallery, Overland Park, Kansas

2011    Kansans Paint Kansas Art Competition, Topeka Art Guild, Topeka, Kansas

2011    The 15th Annual “Line into Shapes” Art Competition & Sale, Art Center of

            Estes Park, Estes Park, Colorado

2011    The Third Annual Figurative Drawing & Painting Exhibition, Lore

            Degenstein Gallery, Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania

2011    The 42nd Annual Smoky Hill Art Competition and Exhibition, Hays Arts

            Council, Hays, Kansas

2011    National Juried Exhibition, Oak Park Art League Carriage House Gallery, Oak

            Park, Illinois

2010    “Reflection of Our World”, Irene B. French Community Center, Merriam,

            Kansas

2010    “Vision of Fields”, Lincoln Art Galleries, Fort Collins, Colorado

2010    The 41st Annual Smoky Hill Art Competition and Exhibition, Hays Arts

            Council, Hays, Kansas

2010    Washburn Art Faculty Show, Mulvane Art Museum, Topeka, Kansas

2009    “Beyond Realism”, Beauchamp Gallery, Topeka, Kansas

2009    The 24th Annual Bosque Art Classic, the Bosque Arts Center, Clifton, Texas

2009    “The Human Form”, Art at the Center, Overland Park, Kansas

2009    Kansas Watercolor Society National Exhibition, Wichita Center for the Arts,

            Wichita, Kansas

2009    2008 PaintAmerica Top100 Exhibit, Westboro Fine Arts Gallery, Topeka,

            Kansas

2009    The 40th Annual Smoky Hill Art Competition and Exhibition, Hays Arts

            Council, Hays, Kansas

2009    Art Exhibition of Kansas Association of Retired School Personnel, Great

            Bend, Kansas

2008    The Second Annual Ad Astra Per Aspera Exhibition, Art and Design Gallery,

            University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas

2008    Kansas Watercolor Society Great 8 Exhibition, Wichita Center for the Arts,

            Wichita, Kansas

2008    Washburn University Art Faculty Biennial Show, Mulvane Art Museum,

            Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas

2008    The 39th Annual Smoky Hill Art Competition and Exhibition, Hays Arts

            Council, Hays, KS

2007    PaintAmerica Top 100 Exhibit, Westboro Fine Arts Gallery, Topeka, Kansas

2008    “Favorites”, Strecker-Nelson Gallery, Manhattan, Kansas

2007    The Tenth National Juried Art Exhibition, the Baker Arts Center, Liberal,

            Kansas

2007    Kansas Watercolor Society Great 8 Exhibition, Wichita Center for the Arts,

            Wichita, Kansas

2007    “The Illusion of Reality”, Strecker-Nelson Gallery, Manhattan, Kansas

2007    “Beyond Mimesis”, Strecker-Nelson Gallery, Manhattan, Kansas

2007    The 38th Annual Smoky Hill Art Competition and Exhibition, Hays Arts

             Council, Hays, Kansas

2006    Northern National Art Competition, Northern Arts Council, Rhinelander,

            Wisconsin

2006    Kansas Watercolor Society Great 8 Exhibition, Wichita Art Museum, Wichita,

            Kansas

2006    The 37th Annual Smoky Hill Art Exhibition, Hays Arts Council, Kansas

2006    The Shafer Regional Invitational Art Exhibition, Shafer Gallery, Great

             Bend, Kansas

2005    “Combined Talents: 20th Annual International Competition”, Museum of

            Fine Arts, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida

2005    2005 Kansas Watercolor Society Great 8 Exhibition, Wichita Art Museum,

             Wichita, Kansas

2005    The Shafer Regional Invitational Art Exhibition, Shafer Art Gallery, Great

            Bend, Kansas

2005    The 8th Juried National Art Exhibition, Baker Arts Center, Liberal, Kansas

2005    The 28th International Exhibition of the Watercolor Society-Houston,

            Houston, Texas

2004    Biennial, Detroit Artist Market, Detroit, Michigan

2003    Coop July, Coop Gallery, Toronto, Canada

2002    “Southwest Open 2002”, Art Gallery of Windsor, Windsor, Canada

2001    “Southern Waters 2001”, Leamington Arts Centre, Ontario, Canada

2000   “A Brush With History”, the 75th Anniversary Exhibition of Canadian

            Society of Painters in Water and Colour, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

2000    The 4th International Watercolor Biennial, Mexico City, Mexico

1999    California Watercolor Association 31st Annual Open National Exhibition, San

            Francisco, California

1998    The 4th National Watercolor & Gouache Exhibition, Qingdao/Beijing, China

1997    The 7th Chinese Watercolor Exhibition, Chongqing/Chengdu, China

1997    Exhibition of Chinese Famous Young Watercolorists’ Works, Beihai/Beijing,

            China

1997    “The Grand Tour”, Chinese Contemporary, London, England

1997    The 2nd Show of Works from Chinese Young Watercolorists, Beijing, China

1996    The 3rd National Watercolor & Gouache Exhibition, Beijing/Beihai, China

1996    The 1st Show of Chinese Watercolor Art, Shijiazhuang/ Beijing, China

1996    Sichuan Arts Exhibition, Chengdu, China

1995    Sichuan Arts Exhibition, Chengdu, China

1995    Contemporary Chinese Art Exhibition, Hongkong

1994    The 8th Chinese National Art Exhibition, Chengdu, China

1994    Contemporary Chinese-Singapore Watercolor Exhibition, Singapore

1994    The 1st Chinese Oil Still Life Exhibition, Beijing, China