Interview
Alex Z. Wang
Alex Z. Wang is a New York-based multidisciplinary artist exploring light, movement, and impermanence through abstract painting, alcohol ink, and photography. His improvisational process embraces fluidity and transformation, capturing fleeting moments where color and form dissolve and reemerge. Wang’s artistic foundation began in childhood at the Luxun Academy of Fine Arts in China, later deepening his practice at the Art Students League, Parsons School of Design, and Cooper Union. His work draws inspiration from dance, music, and natural rhythms, mirroring the ephemeral nature of perception and memory. He has exhibited at Equity Gallery, Van Der Plas Gallery, Bushwick Gallery, Agora Gallery, KBM Art Gallery, ArtExpo New York, Superfine, and Clio Art Fairs, among others. In January 2025, Wang transitioned into being a full-time artist, working out of his studio in Bushwick, Brooklyn. His work invites viewers into immersive, atmospheric spaces - where meaning is fluid, and nothing remains static.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“My journey in art started at a young age - I studied at the Luxun Academy of Fine Arts in China as a child for seven years, where I developed a deep appreciation for traditional techniques and artistic discipline. Later in life, I expanded my practice at the Art Students League of New York, Parsons School of Design, and Cooper Union, where I honed my skills in painting and abstraction. In January 2025, I officially transitioned into being a full-time artist, working out of my studio in Bushwick, Brooklyn. My practice explores light, movement, and impermanence, drawing inspiration from dance, music, and natural rhythms. I primarily work in oil on canvas, alcohol ink, and photography, capturing the tension between presence and absence. I’m currently focused on expanding my presence through curated exhibitions and independent shows. My journey has been about blurring the boundaries between disciplines, bringing my experience in storytelling and aesthetics into my artistic practice”
What does your work aim to say? Does it comment on any current social or political issues?
“My work explores the interplay between light, movement, and impermanence, capturing moments of transition where presence dissolves into absence. I’m drawn to the idea of ephemeral beauty - how landscapes, emotions, and even memory itself constantly shift and evolve. By layering color, texture, and form, I aim to create immersive, atmospheric compositions that invite the viewer into a space of reflection, where meaning is fluid and personal. While my work is not overtly political, it speaks to the human experience of uncertainty, transformation, and longing - themes that resonate deeply in today’s world. In an era where everything feels fleeting, whether it’s nature, culture, or personal identity, my paintings offer a space to pause, reflect, and experience stillness amid movement. Additionally, as someone who has navigated multiple disciplines and industries, my work subtly challenges traditional boundaries in art, embracing fluidity across mediums, influences, and perspectives.”
Do you plan your work in advance, or is it improvisation?
“My process is entirely improvisational - I don’t start with a fixed composition or outcome in mind. Instead, I let the materials, movement, and energy of the moment guide the work. Each painting evolves organically as I respond to how color flows, textures interact, and forms emerge and dissolve. Improvisation allows me to embrace uncertainty and fluidity, mirroring the themes in my work - impermanence, transformation, and the tension between presence and absence. Whether working with oil, alcohol ink, or photography, I approach each piece as a dialogue rather than a predetermined structure, allowing space for the unexpected to shape the final outcome. This process keeps my work intuitive, raw, and emotionally charged, creating compositions that feel alive - as if they are still shifting, still becoming.”
“My work explores the interplay between light, movement, and impermanence, capturing moments of transition where presence dissolves into absence.”
Are there any art world trends you are following?
“I don’t actively chase trends, but I’m always observing how the art world is evolving - especially in areas that resonate with my own practice. Right now, I’m particularly interested in the growing emphasis on materiality, process-driven abstraction, and immersive experiences. There’s a renewed focus on texture, layering, and the physicality of paint, which aligns with how I approach my own work through improvisation and fluid movement. I’m also following how artists are engaging with light and perception, particularly in the way color and surface interact with the viewer’s presence. This connects with my own exploration of impermanence, shifting landscapes, and fleeting moments of beauty. Beyond painting, I’m interested in how contemporary artists are blurring disciplines - bridging fine art with design, fashion, and even technology in ways that feel organic rather than forced. I see this as an expansion of artistic language rather than a limitation, and it’s something I explore in my own work by experimenting across different media. While trends come and go, I’m more focused on the larger conversations happening in contemporary abstraction and sensory experience - how artists are creating work that is not just seen, but felt.”
What process, materials and techniques do you use to create your artwork?
“My work is entirely improvisational, allowing color, texture, and movement to guide the composition. I embrace fluidity and unpredictability, working across oil painting, alcohol ink, and photography to explore themes of impermanence, transformation, and light. Materials & Techniques Oil on Canvas - I build up layers of transparent and opaque color, often working wet-on-wet to create atmospheric depth. I let the paint move organically, sometimes manipulating it with rags, palette knives, and brushes to achieve rich textures. Alcohol Ink on Yupo Paper - This medium allows for a spontaneous interaction between pigment and surface. I work by tilting, dripping, and blowing the ink to guide its movement, creating fluid, dreamlike compositions where colors blend and shift like memories dissolving. By layering pigments, I enhance the sense of depth and luminosity, allowing light to interact with the ink’s transparency. Abstract Photography - I use close-up techniques and light manipulation to capture ephemeral moments in motion. The process is similar to my painting practice - intuitive, responsive, and focused on capturing fleeting beauty. Ultimately, my process is about letting go of control and embracing transformation, allowing each piece to unfold in its own time.”
What does your art mean to you?
“My art is a way of capturing the fleeting, impermanent moments that exist between presence and absence. It is a meditation on movement, light, and transformation, allowing me to explore the tension between what is solid and what is dissolving. Because my process is improvisational, each piece is an act of discovery - I never know exactly how it will evolve, and that mirrors how I see the world: constantly shifting, never fixed. My work is deeply personal, yet it exists in a space where meaning is fluid. I want my paintings to feel like they are still in motion, still becoming, much like memory, emotion, and time itself. Ultimately, my art is a way of making the intangible tangible, capturing a moment before it disappears. It’s about letting go, embracing change, and finding beauty in the unknown.”
What’s your favourite artwork and why?
“One of my favorite works is by Robert Delaunay, ‘Simultaneous Contrasts: Sun and Moon’ (1913). I’m drawn to this piece because of its dynamic sense of movement and light. Delaunay’s use of bold, fragmented color creates an almost vibrating effect, where the composition feels alive and in flux. His approach to color theory and simultaneous contrast resonates with my own exploration of how colors interact, dissolve, and transform within a composition. What I admire most about this work is its ability to capture energy and rhythm purely through abstraction - there’s no fixed perspective, yet it feels expansive and immersive. This aligns with my own artistic practice, where I seek to create a sense of fluidity and impermanence, allowing light and form to shift organically across the canvas.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“I have two upcoming exhibitions, namely Solo Booth, Superfine Art Fair in New York, NY in April 2025 and Solo Booth, Clio Art Fair in New York, NY in May 2025. And I have two group shows in April at Memento Mori: Time, Clarity and the Pursuit of Purpose, Equity Gallery in New York, NY, and Urban Narratives: The City as Canvas, Bushwick Gallery, New York, NY. My previous exhibitions include: All the Light I See, Van Der Plas Gallery in New York, NY in March 2025; Summer City Idyll, Agora Gallery in New York, NY in July 2024 and Drawing to See, Tenuta di Spannocchia in Tuscany, Italy in 2018.”
