Rago Auctions

Using photography to explore the influence of Western consumerism on Chinese culture, Wang Qingsong provides viewers with dramatic compositions made even more epic through the immense scale of his projects and the careful staging of his participants and elements. Many of his works focus on societal or political themes, delivering a deeper message than his humorous images initially intone. Born in Heilongjiang Province at the start of China's Cultural Revolution, Oingsong graduated from the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts after spending eight years as an oil field laborer. Initially, he worked in the Gaudy style of painting - a variation of Pop-Art - but soon transitioned to photography and in recent years has begun to work in performance and video art. His works have been exhibited internationally at institutions such as the International Center of Photography in New York, the Shanghai Art Museum, and the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles and can be found in the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles and Mori Art Museum, Tokyo.