June Art Fair

Empty Gallery is pleased to present our inaugural presentation of works by Los Angeles-based conceptual artist and educator, John Ziqiang Wu. Wu’s multidisciplinary practice explores the myriad points of intersection between people, institutions, and pedagogical systems. The majority of the works on view at June originate from Wu’s recent one-year residency at the Hammer Museum. Wu interned with each department at the museum in succession, learning to perform roles ranging from sanitation to curation, and observing the inner workings of the museum along the way. Translating this experience into a series of observational watercolors, Wu captures a variety of poignant moments which depict not only the institutional apparatus, but also the complex social ecosystem which underlies it. Infusing the familiar gestures of institutional critique with a necessary dose of generosity and humor, Wu represents the art world as a place of both humanity and play.

About JOHN ZIQIANG WU

John Ziqiang Wu (b. 1983) is a Los Angeles-based artist and educator whose practice explores the myriad points of intersection between people, institutions, and pedagogical systems. Manifesting as observational drawings, paintings, and collaborative installations, Wu’s works infuse institutional critique with a much needed dose of generosity and humor. Wu is also the co-founder of Learning Art & Art Learning Studio, an art tutoring workshop which informs much of his practice. Recent exhibitions include Armory Center for the Arts and Todd Madigan Gallery, Cal State Bakersfield as well as group shows at SALT, Istanbul and Pasadena Museum. Wu recently finished a one-year residency at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles from which many of the works on view in June are drawn.