About

Anya Wang (b.1999) is a multi-disciplinary Chinese artist currently based in London and pursuing a MA in Painting at the Royal College of Art. Wang’s artworks are influenced by her identity as an Asian woman and the experience of her Buddhist family background, which helped to set forth the multifaceted perspectives on feminism and mythology.

Having both parents working in the fashion and textile industries in one of the most renowned centres of silk production in China, Hangzhou, Wang has always been intrigued by the often-overlooked importance played by the materiality of the mediums of art. Her undergraduate studies in Textiles at the London College of Fashion, UAL, allowed her to explore this theme further.

Growing up with a devoted Buddhist grandmother, the theme of religion and mythology has always been embedded in the depth of Anya Wang’s memories, especially the traditional Chinese folk religion, which always lingers in the cultural tradition of everyday practices.

Combining elements shared by East Asian religions, Wang attempted to construct a matriarchal religion with ahistorical postulates. Both symbolisms and scripts in many of her works are inspired by Nüshu, a form of writing exclusively used by women of the Yao ethnicity, are depicted. She aims to suggest a sense of dissociation – the inability to associate oneself with the patriarchal religions of one’s background; the subsequent attempt to depart from such bondage by inverting the very gendered centre without renouncing the cultural perspectives.