吴臻 | 游走于当代艺术与流行文化的视觉叙事
Wowser Ng | The visual narrative of contemporary art and popular culture
Writer: zhuo
Date: 10/30/2024
Keywords: digital painting / queer emotional relationships / materialism / fetishism
Date: 10/30/2024
Keywords: digital painting / queer emotional relationships / materialism / fetishism
吴臻曾在世界各地的众多机构举办展览，其中包括 AI-Tiba9 画廊；乔纳森费拉拉画廊；伦敦灯塔画廊；北京方圆画廊；上海展览中心等。吴的作品曾在 Gulf Stream 杂志第 32 期入选艺术家和封面艺术家；曾入选美学艺术家名录，美学杂志( 第 113 期 )、《Makersplace》杂志、AI-Tiba9 杂志第 13 期等。吴的作品被斯沃琪和平饭店艺术中心、中央圣马丁博物馆收藏。
Wowser Ng (b. 1998) is a visual artist born in China and currently based in London. Focusing on digital painting, Wowser’s work delves into queer emotional relationships, materialism, and fetishism. His paintings create abstract forms to capture emotions, desires, and the fascination with objects. Wowser's work has been exhibited internationally, including in London, New Orleans, Shanghai, Beijing, and Barcelona.
Wowser has exhibited at numerous institutions worldwide, such as AI-Tiba9 Gallery; Jonathan Ferrara Gallery; London Lighthouse Gallery; Beijing Fangyuan Gallery; and Shanghai Exhibition Center. His work has been featured in issue 32 of Gulf Stream Magazine as an artist and cover artist; in Aesthetica Artist Directory, Aesthetica Magazine (Issue 113), MakersPlace Magazine, and AI-Tiba9 Magazine (Issue 13), among others. Wowser's works are part of the collections at Swatch Art Peace Hotel and the Central Saint Martins Museum.
Exhibition view. In the Z World Al-Tiba9 Gallery
吴臻的创作立足于流行文化与时尚世界的交汇处，捕捉着时尚与潮流带来的变幻与冲击。在他的笔下，艺术不单是一种视觉表达，更是一种对当代社会现象的深刻观察。通过对时尚与物质主义的细腻观察，通过色彩和图像的碰撞，吴臻揭示了在繁华的表象下，个体与潮流的 复杂关系。他的艺术像是在捕捉那些稍纵即逝的瞬间——那些在现代社会中，随着不断传播的流行趋势被轻易忽略的细微情感和个人体验。
Wowser's creations are rooted at the intersection of popular culture and the fashion world, capturing the transformations and impact brought by trends and style. In his work, art is not merely a visual expression but also a profound observation of contemporary societal phenomena. Through his meticulous examination of fashion and materialism, coupled with the interplay of color and imagery, Wowser reveals the complex relationship between the individual and trends beneath the glamorous surface. His art seems to capture those fleeting moments—those subtle emotions and personal experiences easily overlooked amidst the spread of popular trends in modern society.
A Night with the Mistake，错误之夜, Digital Painting on Fine Art Canvas, Unique，70x52cm, 2024 (left)
Sound of Silence，寂静之声, Digital Painting on Fine Art Canvas,Unique，70x52cm，2024 (right)
Sound of Silence，寂静之声, Digital Painting on Fine Art Canvas,Unique，70x52cm，2024 (right)
吴臻的作品以其高度饱和的色彩、抽象的构图和对物质主义的深入探讨为标志。他擅长运用明亮的色彩与流动的线条，捕捉当代社会中情感的脆弱与复杂，通过对日常物品的解构和重新设计，探讨个人情感与流行文化之间的互动。他的每一件作品都蕴含着独特的叙事，呈现出一种超越物质表象的情感表达，带有一种柔和却深刻的视觉冲击力。作品A Night with the Mistake的画面以香水瓶和口红为中心，代表着性与情感的隐喻。画中运用了黄色的光线，营造出一种温暖而又危险的氛围。香水与口红等物品以扭曲的形态出现在画面中，逐渐消融在时间的流逝中，象征着情感中那些难以挽回的错误。这些物品的重叠与投影，如同时间的层层递进，捕捉了瞬间与持久的对比，使人不禁思索情感中的复杂与不可逆转。
Wowser's works are characterized by their highly saturated colors, abstract compositions, and in-depth exploration of materialism. He skillfully employs bright colors and fluid lines to capture the fragility and complexity of emotions in contemporary society. By deconstructing and redesigning everyday objects, he examines the interaction between personal feelings and popular culture. Each of his works contains a unique narrative, presenting an emotional expression that transcends material appearances, imbued with a gentle yet profound visual impact. The artwork "A Night with the Mistake" centers around a perfume bottle and lipstick, representing metaphors of sexuality and emotion. The painting uses yellow light to create a warm yet dangerous atmosphere. The twisted forms of the perfume and lipstick gradually dissolve over time, symbolizing the irretrievable mistakes in relationships. The overlapping and projection of these objects mirror the layers of time, capturing the contrast between fleeting moments and enduring presence, provoking contemplation on the complexity and irreversibility of emotions.
Sound of Silence同样通过日常物品，以幽默而尖锐的方式，探讨了性别身份、酷儿关系以及社会对性别的期待。作品中物品的排列和构图形成了一种沉默中的张力，通过尖叫鸡表现出紧张与惊恐，暗示艺术家情感的压抑并揭示酷儿的成长经历。吴臻用个人经历赋予作品独特的视角，他描绘的物品仿佛充满了自己的生命和情感。每一个物体，像是戒指、香水瓶、口红，都不仅仅是简单的日常物品，它们变成了情感的象征，表达出脆弱、迷惑或是温柔的瞬间。他通过这些熟悉的符号，让观众在不经意间感受到流行文化和物质表面下那些难以言说的情感。
"Sound of Silence" similarly uses everyday objects, exploring gender identity, queer relationships, and societal expectations of gender in a humorous yet incisive manner. The arrangement and composition of the objects create a tension within the silence, with a squeaky chicken signifying anxiety and fear, hinting at the suppression of the artist's emotions while revealing the queer growth experience. Wowser infuses his works with a unique perspective drawn from personal experiences, endowing depicted objects with life and emotion. Each object—be it a ring, a perfume bottle, or lipstick—transcends its simple everyday function, becoming a symbol of emotion, representing moments of fragility, confusion, or tenderness. Through these familiar symbols, he allows viewers to inadvertently sense the unspeakable emotions beneath the surface of popular culture and materialism.
The Shape of Time，时间的形状，Digital Painting on Fine Art，Canvas, Unique, 70x52cm, 2024 (left)
Ambiguous Water and Your Unbreakable Future，暧昧的水和你坚不可摧的未来，Digital Painting on Fine Art Canvas, Unique，70x52cm, 2024 (right)
Ambiguous Water and Your Unbreakable Future，暧昧的水和你坚不可摧的未来，Digital Painting on Fine Art Canvas, Unique，70x52cm, 2024 (right)
作品The Shape of Time捕捉了时间流逝的无形本质。画面中扭曲的形状和轻盈的色调带有一种不可捉摸的张力。漂浮的泪滴在时间的长河中缓缓移动，像是在诉说那些难以追忆的瞬间。每一个元素在画布上自由呼吸，形成了时间与情感交织的舞蹈，观者仿佛能感受到时间在流动中的重量与轻盈。
The artwork "The Shape of Time" captures the intangible essence of the passage of time. The distorted forms and light tones in the composition evoke an elusive tension. Floating tears drift slowly through the river of time, as if narrating those moments difficult to recollect. Each element breathes freely on the canvas, forming a dance where time and emotion intertwine, allowing the viewer to feel both the weight and lightness of time in its flow.
吴臻的艺术充满了对瞬间和短暂情感的捕捉，这种温柔而不批判的呈现方式，使得他的作品在视觉上具备冲击力的同时，又保持了一种静谧的内在力量。在Ambiguous Water and Your Unbreakable Future中，粉色的主调营造出一种朦胧与脆弱并存的氛围。画面中弥漫着如水般流动的情感，柔和而隐秘。粉色不仅象征着甜美与梦幻，更带有一种稍纵即逝的脆弱感，仿佛触碰即碎。吴臻以暧昧的色彩和轻盈的线条，呈现了关系的脆弱性，带来无尽的遐想与感伤。
Wowser's art is filled with the capture of fleeting emotions, presented in a tender, non-critical manner. This allows his works to maintain visual impact while also holding an intrinsic tranquility. In "Ambiguous Water and Your Unbreakable Future," the use of a pink palette creates an atmosphere where ambiguity and fragility coexist. Emotions flow through the composition like water, gentle yet hidden. The pink color not only symbolizes sweetness and fantasy but also carries a fleeting fragility, as if it would shatter upon touch. Wowser uses ambiguous colors and light lines to depict the vulnerability of relationships, evoking endless reverie and melancholy.
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Ten Minutes of Mobility，十分钟的流动性, Digital Painting on Fine Art Canvas, Unique, 70x52cm，2024
Ten Minutes of Mobility，十分钟的流动性, Digital Painting on Fine Art Canvas, Unique, 70x52cm，2024
除此之外，吴臻也将童话故事的元素融入创作，童话的虚拟世界是一个情感与物质交错的世界，他用流畅的笔触与扭曲的形态述说一个无法被我们完全掌握的世界。Ten Minutes of Mobility的灵感就源自经典的童话《灰姑娘》，吴臻在这件作品中设计了一只烟头鞋，象征着阶级与物质的虚幻性。烟头燃烧的时间与高跟鞋的增高效应，暗示了社会结构的暂时性与回归原状的必然性。画面中的人物凝视着前方，带有一种审视与反思，光线从左侧强烈地打破画面的平衡，预示着虚幻与现实的碰撞。
Additionally, Wowser integrates elements from fairy tales into his creations. The fictional world of fairy tales is a space where emotions and materiality intersect. With fluid brushstrokes and distorted forms, he narrates a world that remains beyond our complete grasp. "Ten Minutes of Mobility" draws inspiration from the classic fairy tale "Cinderella," featuring a cigarette shoe symbolizing the illusion of class and materiality. The burning cigarette and the height-augmenting effect of the high heel suggest the transience of social structures and the inevitability of returning to the original state. The character in the painting gazes ahead with an air of scrutiny and reflection, with light breaking the balance of the composition from the left, foreshadowing the collision of illusion and reality.
The Night Watch，夜巡，Digital Painting on Fine Art Canvas, Unique, 70x52cm，2024
Mending the Secret，缝补秘密，Digital Painting on Fine Art Paper, Edition of 5, 100x75cm, 2023
Mending the Secret，缝补秘密，Digital Painting on Fine Art Paper, Edition of 5, 100x75cm, 2023
吴臻用作品回应流行文化带来的快速变化和物质主义的表面繁荣，但并不是单纯的批判。艺术家喜欢从时尚中提取视觉符号，再通过扭曲、变形这些符号，制造出一种新鲜的视觉体验。那些高饱和度的色彩和流畅的线条，让画面看起来既充满活力，又带着一种微妙的情感流动，仿佛在提醒我们，物质世界背后隐藏着更多细腻、复杂的情感和故事。
Wowser responds to the rapid changes brought by popular culture and the superficial prosperity of materialism through his work, yet it is not simply a critique. The artist enjoys extracting visual symbols from fashion, then distorting and deforming them to create a novel visual experience. The highly saturated colors and fluid lines infuse the composition with both vitality and subtle emotional flow, as if reminding us that behind the material world lie more delicate and complex emotions and stories.
Glass Love，玻璃之恋，Digital Painting on Fine Art Canvas, Unique, 70x52cm，2024 (left)
Distant Wish，遥远的心愿，Digital Painting on Fine Art Canvas, Unique, 70x52cm, 2024 (right)
Distant Wish，遥远的心愿，Digital Painting on Fine Art Canvas, Unique, 70x52cm, 2024 (right)
吴臻在Glass Love中以许愿瓶为灵感，将坚固与脆弱的二元性呈现得淋漓尽致。玻璃瓶的透明与纸张的脆弱形成对比，象征着Z世代在物质与精神之间的张力。通过扭曲的形态，吴臻表达了那些不寻常的关系，探索了在当代社会中，物质与情感的紧密交织。这件作品不仅是视觉上的表现，更是一种关于人类情感与物质世界的深刻哲学思考。
In "Glass Love," Wowser takes inspiration from a wishing bottle, vividly presenting the dichotomy between solidity and fragility. The contrast between the transparency of the glass bottle and the fragility of the paper symbolizes the tension faced by Generation Z between material and spiritual life. Through twisted forms, Wowser expresses these unusual relationships, exploring the close intertwining of materiality and emotion in contemporary society. This work is not just a visual representation but also a profound philosophical reflection on human emotions and the material world.
Gaze，凝视，Digital Painting on Fine Art Paper, Edition of 15, 50x37.5cm, 2022 (left)
The Forthcoming Hoax，骗局即将到来，Digital Painting on Fine Art Canvas, Unique, 80x60cm, 2024 (right)
The Forthcoming Hoax，骗局即将到来，Digital Painting on Fine Art Canvas, Unique, 80x60cm, 2024 (right)
吴臻的每一幅作品都仿佛在追寻某种难以言说的瞬间，在时间与空间的交汇处静默地流动。 色彩在他的作品中扮演了情感的引导者，高饱和度的蓝色、粉色和黄色带来了超越现实的视觉感受，仿佛这些颜色在画布上呼吸、跳跃，捕捉情感的震颤。吴臻以这种方式让观众不仅是观看作品，更是在作品的能量场中感知流动的情感。
Each of Wowser's works seems to be in pursuit of an ineffable moment, silently flowing at the intersection of time and space. Colors play the role of emotional guides in his works. The highly saturated blues, pinks, and yellows create a visual experience that transcends reality, as if these colors breathe and leap on the canvas, capturing the tremors of emotion. In this way, Wowser invites viewers not only to observe the work but to perceive the flow of emotions within its energetic field.
Folding Memory, Digital Painting on Fine Art Canvas, Unique, 52x70cm, 2024 (left)
Our Lost Love is Still Growing, Digital Painting on Fine Art Canvas, Unique, 52x70cm, 2024 (right)
Our Lost Love is Still Growing, Digital Painting on Fine Art Canvas, Unique, 52x70cm, 2024 (right)