Fabricator, in a Cramped Room: Interview with Artist Irene Ailin Wang

Irene currently resides in New York City. She has exhibited personal works during many artistic events, including the exhibitions “The Third Bank of The River” held in New York in 2022 and “On a Loooop” in Washington D.C. Her works have been collected by many galleries and private sellers. Irene also actively participates in group exhibitions and charity activities to support other young artists, including the much-anticipated exhibition “Kitchen Sink” held by POSTCRYPT Art Gallery in 2022.

Irene’s work invokes vivid, lively experiences in their viewers. We spoke with her about her creative thoughts and reflections.

Many of your works seem to stem from your interest in the social issues that modern women face. Can you tell us about the impact of being a woman has on you personally as well as on your art?

The women living in our society face many predicaments and as an artist, I do not have the actual power to solve these issues. However, art has a power of its own. It is through art that I may transform my lived experiences into a tangible form of expression while maintaining its emotionally impactful nature. Being a woman, I believe my creations should be dedicated to the prominent issues that women face in the modern age.

My latest solo exhibition, “Fabricator, in a Cramped Room” is both a presentation and an exploration of these issues. Every piece of my artwork carries my personal experiences and feelings, articulated through the language of the abstract. By using this language, I try to bring to the fore the challenges and injustices women face. The works in this exhibition aim to invoke contemplation in viewers on the significant social issues that we have discussed, as well as a rejection of the social expectations and oppressions society has of women. Unlike my previous works, I am exploring other creative methods different from oil painting.

I have chosen to use 3D renderings because it better presents a sense of division or the lack of a collective whole. The formless pigments of colors are as if they are puddles of water or splinters of ice, and they present a shattered reflection of the feminine world, which then brings forth the ugly and neglected issues of our social construct. I believe such artistic expressions would gather the viewer’s attention and lead them inward toward self-reflection. The viewers may then ponder, as I have, on the issues of gender equality and thus seek a sustainable balance amidst the chaos of our world. Through my art, I aim to provoke reflections such as this to take a stand against societal norms and constraints, give a voice to women, and convey hope for freedom and empowerment.

You mentioned that you were inspired by past traumatic experiences. How did these experiences manifest themselves in your artworks? What is your creative intention and meaning?

I see trauma as a river, flowing continuously into the soul of my artistic creations. I can only guide this river in a way that would allow me to transform this experience into a tangible expression of the pain and suffering hidden deep within the hearts of women. I see my own artwork as an abstract flurry of colors and shapes. Through the writhing, unshapen pigments, I invoke and explore the most intensive sufferings that women are subjected to and depict both their internal and external struggles against the unending assault of our society.

These issues that have been silenced and ignored are being brought to the forefront through these depictions. My creative intention is thus to trigger reflections that may lead to their awakening and eventual deliverance from their predicaments. I see a profound meaning in my artworks as they go beyond being works of personal nature, and instead, they become symbols of hope for eventual freedom as well as resistance against oppression.