Wang interweaves a range of motifs, themes and stories from myth, folk tales, historical incidents and archival documents in various formats, including those inspired by interviews and reality shows, to create narratives that reflect on modern Chinese history from a multitude of perspectives. This polyperspectivity is often visually reflected in the way his films are installed in exhibitions, as was the case The Second Interrogation (2023), a film on view in March last year at Wang’s solo exhibition at Hong Kong’s Blindspot Gallery. The film was projected over two screens that were angled in a V shape, in a way that prevented viewers from being able to follow the dialogue between two characters—they had to watch one side at a time, in a literal representation of there being two sides to every story. The angular V shape also visually referenced how our perspectives are often warped, shaped and manipulated. 

Northeast Tetralogy is a film project with four chapters, all of which are currently on view  at M+ for the Sigg Prize exhibition. The fourth and final chapter, Wailing Requiem (2021), looks back to the first chapter in the series, Smoke and Fire, in which a migrant worker returns to his hometown to avenge his mother’s death and ends up sharing a room with a performer of er ren zhuan—a genre of folk dance native to Northeast China involving two performers—with whom he develops a relationship. They eventually return to their hometowns, but the further apart they become physically, the stronger their bond grows, and they become characters in their own er ren zhuan performance, which in the film is broadcast on their mobile phones until they ultimately become one at the moment of revenge against the murderer of the main character’s mother. At this moment, ghosts of historical figures relevant to modern Chinese history emerge in a manner symbolising  historical consciousness. Here Wang proposes the idea of pan-shamanism, where physical bodies serve as mediums to reflect on history. The fact that this is witnessed via the internet, through phone screens, is exemplary of what Wang does, highlighting, modern, contemporary issues and practices parallel to historical events.

It was the continuous process of rediscovering his home and the “reality of China”, as Wang puts it, which prompted him to make Northeast Tetralogy a tetralogy; one work simply wasn’t enough. “You make work to solve a problem or ask a question, and during the process more questions arise and you always find out something else. So you have to continue.” This practice reflects on contemporary China, casting a gaze on the evolution of one world’s most rapidly developing civilisations. This is also what made him the perfect Sigg Prize nominee in the first place, because in exploring his work, audiences have the chance to see various aspects of life in China. 

The Sigg Prize is founded in the name of Swiss art patron and collector Uli Sigg, who has one of the world’s most comprehensive collections of contemporary Chinese art. Part of his collection is donated to and currently housed in M+, where it offers fresh young artists a glimpse of a unique moment in Chinese art history. Its scale keeps M+’s curators busy, as they routinely change the presentation; the newest iteration of the rehang coincided with the opening of the Sigg Prize exhibition, juxtaposing art from two to three decades ago with more recent creations, such as works made by the Sigg Prize nominees. 

Wang is in great company; the other nominated artists—Jes Fan, Miao Ying, Xie Nanxing, Trevor Yeung and Yu Ji—create distinctive art which is both locally and globally admired. For instance, Yeung, known for his botanical-inspired sculptures, recently had an acclaimed solo exhibition at London’s non-profit art space Gasworks and is representing Hong Kong at the upcoming Venice Biennale. Miao’s pioneering digital work was exhibited at a 2016 solo exhibition at New Museum New York and she has become a household name in “post-internet” art and culture. Fan’s glass sculptures, created using unique techniques and unexpected materials, including urine and hormones, have captivated audiences on both an aesthetic and a conceptual level. Xie’s abstract paintings are inspired by art history and Yu’s multimedia body of work, which holds the physical body at its centre, showcases the diversity of China’s contemporary art scene. 

Wang’s next work is a new cyberpunk-inspired film which deals with the way technology is used by different entities for different purposes. “Sometimes, the subtext of technology is about showcasing power. It’s more of a performative medium than a progressive one.” In the face of rapid technological developments, Wang’s films serve as a time capsule, establishing the historical record of Greater China’s current era. 

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