Nan Wang
40x20x10 cm, transparent acetate sheet, paper, lights
This artwork derives from a series of visual research on the photo-elastic phenomena, a technique to pick out defective products in the manufacturing process. In short, a transparent material placed in between two polarisers is able to highlight the pressure around the materials in a range of colours due to the refraction of lights.
Similar artwork is published at: nanwang.org/RefractionScope
In this artwork, a transparent material that has been torn, bitten, and stretched by the artist is placed in a special optical setup to highlight the damaged area in different colours. By revealing the unseen beauty of weakness in materials I want to transfer and visualise human emotions and vulnerabilities to a stretched tangible material surface, I try to emphasise the beauty of vulnerabilities and our resilience towards pressure.
Similar artwork is published at: nanwang.org/RefractionScope
In this artwork, a transparent material that has been torn, bitten, and stretched by the artist is placed in a special optical setup to highlight the damaged area in different colours. By revealing the unseen beauty of weakness in materials I want to transfer and visualise human emotions and vulnerabilities to a stretched tangible material surface, I try to emphasise the beauty of vulnerabilities and our resilience towards pressure.
Nan Wang (born in 1986 in China) is a multidisciplinary media artist and experimental filmmaker based in Rotterdam. Her practice employs a poetic and abstract visual language to construct immersive, sensory-rich experiences. Drawing on both contemporary and obsolete technologies, she creates interactive projection installations, optical devices, live audiovisual performances, and experimental films.
Wang often works with discarded or overlooked man-made objects and materials, reimagining them as carriers of philosophical meaning and emotional resonance. Her work explores themes such as identity, perception, the relationship between humans and technology, and the dynamics of social interaction.
She is a core member of Filmwerkplaats, an artist-run film lab in Rotterdam, and her works are distributed by LIMA Amsterdam, EYE Experimental, and Light Cone. Wang has participated in numerous exhibitions and festivals internationally and is recognized for her contributions to the experimental film and media art scene.
Selected Awards and Recognitions: Mondriaan Fonds – Proven Talent Grant (2020), Mondriaan Fonds – Project Investment for Artists (2019), Rotterdam Municipality – Visual Arts Grant (2018), Mondriaan Fonds – Emerging Talent Grant (2016), NASA Space Apps Challenge – National Winner & Global Nominee (2016), Stuttgart Filmwinter – Norman Award, Special Mention (2015)
Website: nanwang.org
Wang often works with discarded or overlooked man-made objects and materials, reimagining them as carriers of philosophical meaning and emotional resonance. Her work explores themes such as identity, perception, the relationship between humans and technology, and the dynamics of social interaction.
She is a core member of Filmwerkplaats, an artist-run film lab in Rotterdam, and her works are distributed by LIMA Amsterdam, EYE Experimental, and Light Cone. Wang has participated in numerous exhibitions and festivals internationally and is recognized for her contributions to the experimental film and media art scene.
Selected Awards and Recognitions: Mondriaan Fonds – Proven Talent Grant (2020), Mondriaan Fonds – Project Investment for Artists (2019), Rotterdam Municipality – Visual Arts Grant (2018), Mondriaan Fonds – Emerging Talent Grant (2016), NASA Space Apps Challenge – National Winner & Global Nominee (2016), Stuttgart Filmwinter – Norman Award, Special Mention (2015)
Website: nanwang.org