In the Artist’s own words “I am trying as far as possible to structure scenes and atmospheres from daily life which have brought me true feelings; trying to create a scene which is being both glimpsed at and observed in order to satisfy a lust for myself and the audience into these studies of everyday life”.

Through these newly exhibited works, Wang Dawei continues to explore the use of a water-based medium of painting but in an experimental way through the application of a cement brushed base on the canvas. The inspiration to apply ink wash paint on a layer of cement came from working within his semi derelict studio after an amusing idea to use the exposed concrete walls for recreational ink wash graffiti. This innovative technique received positive critic from Randian’s Editor, Daniel Szehin Ho, in an article reporting on the 2014 Shanghai International Contemporary Art Fair, when these works were first exhibited.

Wang Dawei has taken scenes from his everyday life, observed from his own perspective, and combines them to create large scenes composed of different people, atmospheres and situations from our urban lives. These pieces are composed of all states – some relaxing, some boring or some expecting. The topics of his works are primarily set in the park and focused around the community, depicting scenes of a relaxed state of urban people in their leisure time. The Artist, with his humorous figure painting style, describes a pop culture phenomenon in nowadays people’s urban life. Because he observes daily life with a high degree of sensitivity, yet with a unique perspective and creative expression, his work’s style refers to a certain “absurdity”. This “absurdity” however exists truly in our real lives, just as Albert Camus once mentioned about it, that when people facing difficult and mechanical reality survival, according to a rhythm and the pattern of life to live every day, there must be a certainty of coming out a sense of absurdity.

Wang Dawei, born in 1984 in Shanghai. Graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts at Shanghai Normal University in 2009. He has been involved in Shanghai Normal University’s invisible gallery graduation exhibition, the Degas Art Space Art Exhibition, FQ Projects New Generation Art Group Exhibition, Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art “In Between Reality and Fiction” Animamix Biennale, FQ Projects Monologue Group Exhibition, FQ Projects “The People Around Us” solo show, dual solo show of “Shanghai jing, Shan hai jing”, group exhibition of The Avant Garde Diaries Project Space in New York, as well as the Shanghai International Contemporary Art Fair and Art Stage Singapore.