Wang Mai was born in 1972 in Yichun, Heilongjiang Province, China. He now lives and works in Beijing. An indispensable participant in the Yuanmingyuan Artists’ Village, since the early 1990s, Wang has been developing his creative structure of interdisciplinary art encompassing painting, sculpture, poetry, installation, performance art, and many other disciplines. Wang’s practice is deeply embedded in his keen perception of the “happening” of contemporary life and his profound philosophical thinking. With the method of nearly immediate response, he extracts a variety of iconography and visual patterns from dynamic everyday landscapes, widely distributed mass media, and the ever-changing pop culture, then deftly integrates these elements with a free and coherent creative approach that almost feels like the stream of consciousness, creating works that reflect the façade of contemporary social reality while transcending its representation and addressing the underlying issues. He subtly conceals his contemplation regarding controlling and navigating the power of the virtual world, such as the overlaying relationship between collective consciousness and individual destiny, and the intertwining situation between the power of capital and cultural reality, underneath the surface of the glittering light and palette, capturing the viewer’s attention while challenging their capacity of critical reflection.

Wang Mai‘s recent solo exhibitions include Painting and Alchemy, Wish Art Center, Beijing (2022); Wang Mai: Creating the Space by Drawing, Changsha (2019); Spring comes back in a magic hand, MinSheng Art museum, Beijing (2017); WANG MAI: Vergangene Zukun- ft – Im Netzwerk von Zeit und Raum, Berlin (2014); WANG MAI: DIRE STRAITS, UCCA, Beijing (2012) . His recent group exhibitions include One and All, New Art of China, NAMOC, Beijing (2024); Etched in Time: The Experience and Transformation of Contemporary Art Collection in China, Ennova Art Museum, Langfang (2024); White Holes, 798 CUBE, Beijing (2023); Nian Nian: the Power and of Animal form, Deji Art Museum, Nanjing (2023); Song of Soul, Song Gallery, Beijing (2022); The Civil Power, Minsheng Art Museum, Beijing (2015); Mag nanimous, The China Millennium Monument, Beijing (2015); 54th International Art Exhibition-Future Pass, Venice (2011); Mahjong: contemporary Chinese art from the SIGG collection, Peabody Essex Museum, Massachusetts (2009); Second Hand Reality, Today Art Museum, Beijing (2003). His works have been collected by ACC Asia Society, Library of Congress, M+ Art Museum, Ordos Art Museum, Long March Foundation, Hunan Museum, Hunan Fine Arts Publishing Group, Minsheng Art Museum, Arario Art Museum, Artron Group, Ferragamo Foundation and other important institutions and individuals.