Spanning four decades, Wang Guangyi’s (1957- ) artistic practice manifests as a form of consistent yet fluctuating momentum of “thought” that runs through the three decades of work. This “thought” diverges from humanist, rational, and conceptual methodologies, presenting an open-ended aspect devoid of borders or direction. Rather than systematic philosophical thinking, it materializes as an impersonal practice that persistently subverts value-based norms, rooted in a series of observations of both his internal and external contexts. This exhibition showcases the evolution of Wang’s “thought” as evidenced in the entire body of his sketches from 1993—as he participated a series of global exhibitions—to the present. It explores how the artist taps into “thought” to imaginatively articulate the relationship between the individual and the world.
