Wang Zhibo
Distinct brushstrokes and earthy hues map out explorations of what is real.
"In my eyes, the objects are a group of autonomous mime performers, with their own storyline and scripts"
Wang Zhibo’s paintings invite intrigue. She paints unsettling works that examine our ideas of the world. Each work is grounded in a reality: a bowl of fruit, a statue, a mother and child. She then adds a surrealist edge, so that her distorted landscapes sit between the familiar and unfamiliar. The dark scenes of water have a melancholy feel – but their location is hard to read. Her limited palette of cool browns and blues make the lighting and time of day ambiguous. Her works are influenced by Western art history – particularly 20th century architectural geometry.
When drawing, Wang's everyday...
Wang Zhibo’s paintings invite intrigue. She paints unsettling works that examine our ideas of the world. Each work is grounded in a reality: a bowl of fruit, a statue, a mother and child. She then adds a surrealist edge, so that her distorted landscapes sit between the familiar and unfamiliar. The dark scenes of water have a melancholy feel – but their location is hard to read. Her limited palette of cool browns and blues make the lighting and time of day ambiguous. Her works are influenced by Western art history – particularly 20th century architectural geometry.
When drawing, Wang's everyday is a source of inspiration. She twists reality to question what is and isn't known. She says, “I try to explore tangibility and complexity with the distortion of time and space.” In doing so, they become sinister and detached. This is heightened by the lack of obvious life in the works. Flowerbeds are empty. Fountains run dry. Scenes are usually absent from people. Skulls lie on the floor. Fruit has arms and hair. Wang’s compositions create a feeling that is both curious and challenging. It’s up to us to decide where they belong.
Wang Zhibo was born in 1981 in Zhejiang, China, and now lives between Hangzhou, China, and Berlin, Germany.
She was most recently chosen to feature in Phaidon’s 2022 anthology, Great Women Artists.
In 2008, she was the recipient of the prestigious international Luo Zhongli Scholarship, aimed at recent graduates from art colleges and university.
