Zuofu Wang

Artist Statement

As an outsider to the States, I work as an observer. My artworks combine my lived experience with historical materials to create multiple perspectives that are subjective yet objective. My inter-textual projects use archival materials, video recordings from the ground, and air and performance.

I am attracted by the often-forgotten history and the importance of Chinese involvement in the United States. I use historical events as inspiration and starting point to bridge the past and present through my practice, reflecting on issues of human flow and forgotten legacies to memorize the suffering. To produce this research-based project, I have worked in archives and have conducted field research in numerous places in the United States, including Boston and North Adams, MA, Atlanta, GA, Corrine, UT, and Deland, FL.

Since the pandemic started and with the rise in anti-Asian crime rates across the U.S., I have looked back at historical events that shaped perceptions of Asian Americans, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act, the Transcontinental Railroad, and narratives of Asian individuals who have made significant contributions to the U.S. I have been especially interested in how Chinese flow from one place to another and the hidden legacies left by Chinese figures. 

I hope my work brings about conversations, reconsiderations of the past, historic recuperations, and reflections on current issues of racism toward Asian Americans and all minorities in the United States.