Tong Wu

Tong Wu (b. 1999) is a London-based Chinese artist born in Hunan Province, China. After receiving his Bachelor's degree in Fine Art from Sichuan University, China in 2021, Wu went on to complete his Masters in Painting with Distinction at Camberwell College of Arts, UAL, in London in 2022.

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Wu's body of work for his upcoming Spring exhibition reflects his unique perspective on cultural, socio-political, and social media issues in contemporary society, as seen through his own observations and interpretations. His figurative and vividly colourful paintings delve into cultural, societal, and philosophical themes ranging from ancient Greek mythology to post-modernism, as well as issues that are pertinent to modern society.

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Through his art, Wu expresses scepticism towards the "grand narratives" of post-modernism, instead focusing on rational ideology and rejecting previous mechanisms and meanings. His works are inspired by his early life in a Chinese collective, and he intertwines naturalistic elements with vibrant colours and figures, juxtaposing sweetness and danger, utopia and dystopia, fantasy or fake and reality. Wu's narcissistic figures often refer to Greek mythology and Japanese animation characters, situated in the middle of these opposing ideas and those of desire and daydream. His paintings often depict dreamy gardens alongside disaster and horror, embodying the subconscious influence of contemporary society's concepts of narcissism, materialism, commercialism, and social media and technology.

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Wu's style is theatrical and narrative, using bold colours and striking compositions to create glamorous and bizarre stages that highlight the artificiality and performativity of contemporary society's issues. His works are absurd but visually appealing, drawing the viewer into a journey that is both metaphorical and contradictory, with an uncanny sense of something being wrong.

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Wu has exhibited his works in Chengdu, China and London, and currently lives and works in London.