Inkjet print, 2018-2024
Partially real, partially fictional: the situation of our current time. It can be hard to tell one from the other, and simply believing requires a certain degree of naiveté. As uncertainty grows and the longing for truth fades, we learn to look beyond the surface. Some choose to believe in what they see while simultaneously questioning it, so they can stay sane. Lies in the functioning of the world might seem inevitable and therefore are justified. We do, however, wish to maintain certain simple responses in seeing and to be reminded. The work presented comes from a collection of images partially altered by AI.
Chih-Chien Wang was born in Taiwan and has resided in Montréal since 2002. He holds an MFA from Concordia University, following studies in cinema and theatre at the Chinese Culture University in Taiwan. Recent solo exhibitions at Pierre-François Ouellette art contemporain, Maison de la Culture Janine-Sutto, and Fonderie Darling (Montréal), Plein sud (Longueuil), Künstlerhaus Bethanien (Berlin), the Art Gallery of Mississauga, Expression (Saint-Hyacinthe), the Musée régional de Rimouski, and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts; his work has been in numerous groups shows.
Wang was awarded the Prix Louis-Comtois in 2020 and the Duke and Duchess of York Prize in Photography in 2017. His work is in collections including Musée d’Art Contemporain de Montréal, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec, National Gallery of Canada, Hydro-Québec, National Bank of Canada, Royal Bank of Canada, TD Bank, Caisse Desjardins, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Musée de l’Elysée Lausanne, BMO Financial Group, Ville de Montréal, and the Canada Council Art Bank.