Janet Wang


Janet Wang is a visual artist and educator based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, knowing for shaping identity by appropriating and disrupting social norms and recognizable gestures.

Biography

Janet Wang, born in 1977 as a second-generation immigrant of Chinese descent, completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of British Columbia and obtained a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Leeds. She is an associate professor at Emily Carr University of Art and Design.

Art Practice

Wang's practice includes sculptural installations, painting, drawing, and new media. Her work examines identity formation by appropriating and challenging social patterns. By drawing on historical canons and everyday traditions, Wang uses familiar elements to connect with viewers.
Wang's new studies and experiments with form emphasize the relationship between historical movements and the present, specifically addressing the exploitation of Chinese immigrants and its broader critique of capitalism. While residing at Irving House, she continues to elaborate on heritage and its potential reorientation towards a decolonial process, drawing from her research on the labour and exploitation of Chinese individuals in Canada.
Wang has participated in numerous residencies, including the Similkameen Artist Residency, ArtStarts, Artscape Gibraltar, Artists for Kids with the North Vancouver School District, and the Wassaic Project. She has also been recognized with awards from the Vancouver Foundation, BC Arts Council, and the Canada Council for the Arts.

Exhibitions

2024: Spotlight: Janet Wang, Vancouver Art Gallery
2023: To Exit is to Enter, Evergreen Gallery, Coquitlam
2023: Peep Show, Malaspina Printmakers, Vancouver
2023: Ports of Entry, Sunshine Coast Arts Council, Sechelt
2014: Archetypical, Seymour Art Gallery, North Vancouver
2007: Inside Out Richmond Art Gallery, Richmond

Temporary public art projects

2023: Irving House Public Art, artist-in-residence, City of New Westminster
2022: Holding Pattern, City Centre Canada Line Station with City of Vancouver Public Art Program