Wang Lei and His Works

Wang Lei was born in 1980 in Henan, China and was formerly a drama student. As one of the most prominent Chinese contemporary artists in the scene today, he absorbs and incorporates his historical and social knowledge not only into the context of his artworks but also their design and process of development. 

In a way, his artworks can be defined as art from the moment a notion is created in his mind. The idea then evolves into different layers and forms which are translated into contemporary masterpieces. 

The series "Sorry I Don't Understand," is based on traditional clothes and costumes worn during the Ming Dynasty. The routine of donning the uniform was not solely for fashion, but has always been a marker of social status. Wang Lei challenges the notions of taste and class by casting the costumes in a completely different framework. 

Wang Lei employs materials that have always been defined as non-wearable. Yet, he chooses materials which have meaning that are open to interpretation, based on how people perceive its use. This leads everyone’s thoughts to a paradox, and paradoxes are deeply entangled within our contemporary lifestyles. The duplicities and multiplicities in meaning exist to inform our improvement, growth, comfort and enlightenment. It is within these paradoxes that we seek individualism and attempt to create a new identity.

In his "Ming Dynasty Costumes" series, Wang Lei reproduces one of the famous designs with a completely new material – paper from a Chinese-English dictionary. He tediously knits the paper in an accurate manner such that all the textures and patterns follow the right traditional process. He dedicates himself to this process of creation as he believes that such commitment will raise the concept of his art to a sacred position. 

"Don't Understand" is a series of clothes that Wang Lei creates out of toilet paper. He questions the quality of people's attempts to create a new social identity whilst retaining their air of materialism with continuous consumption. The process of making the artwork with his own hands is laborious and the dedication he puts in to knit each one of the cloths accurately, demonstrates how he admires the traditional ways of reproducing time-consuming handmade traditions in different designs, forms, patterns and styles.

The first impression that each observer has of his works is the immense amount of delicate work the artist has put in. This feeling then lends itself to a discussion of the choices, quality and the background of our customs that define us as responsible members of our society.