Astra Huimeng Wang (b. Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China) creates events and circumstances to study the manufacture of truth and identities, collaborating extensively with orchestras, poets, actors, and sometimes strangers. In her diverse practice across media, 21 people tattooed different words onto their bodies and collectively formed a short poem of hers; a choir sang and chanted variations of Ode to Joy in security cages; a piano was shot 400 times in the California desert; and a three-day chocolate fountain party attended by hundreds went terribly wrong as intended. Wang’s work draws inspiration from literature, cinema, and her own biomedical background, with recurrent elements of desire and conflict, and a lingering sense of crisis.
Wang received her M.F.A. in Studio Art from San Francisco Art Institute and B.E. in Biomedical Engineering from Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. A MacDowell Fellow, she has also received fellowships and held residencies at Millay Arts, Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts, and Wilhardt & Naud, among others. Solo exhibitions include those at Make Room (Los Angeles) and the Pennsylvania State University. Selected exhibitions and performances include those at Simon Lee Gallery (London), Christie's (New York), CFHILL (Stockholm), Woaw Gallery (Hong Kong), Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture (San Francisco), and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.