Martin
Wong
Martin
Wong
Wong
American, 1946 — 1999
Self-taught painter Martin Wong learned the ropes of figurative art by depicting New York’s vibrant Lower East Side neighbourhood, where he settled in 1978. He paints the daily life of his neighbourhood, which at the time consisted of rundown, graffiti-covered brick buildings where the members of various ethnic communities lived, notably Hispanics. Combining social realism, eroticism, interculturality and decoration, his unique paintings are a rich testimony.
Depicting the teeming Lower East Side allows Wong to tackle a variety of subjects. He is particularly passionate about minority communication systems such as sign language, astrological symbols, graffiti, tattoos and sexual recognition devices. His interest in identity heralded the art scene's focus on these issues in the 1990s.
Wong's work was shown for the first time by the Pinault Collection at the "Slip of the Tongue" exhibition at the Punta della Dogana in Venice.
Depicting the teeming Lower East Side allows Wong to tackle a variety of subjects. He is particularly passionate about minority communication systems such as sign language, astrological symbols, graffiti, tattoos and sexual recognition devices. His interest in identity heralded the art scene's focus on these issues in the 1990s.
Wong's work was shown for the first time by the Pinault Collection at the "Slip of the Tongue" exhibition at the Punta della Dogana in Venice.
