Wang Haiyang’s work explores the various states of the subconscious and our twisted relationships with our desires. Faced with his canvases and videos, we are moved not so much to understand or explain them as to let ourselves be carried away by the unbridled imagination of the artist: the bodies transform and metamorphose, while enigmatic images put us face to face with disturbing emotions. It was in fact his psychologist who, during the artist’s studies at the Beijing Academy of Fine Arts, encouraged him to express the depths of his soul and his anxieties through his painting, rather than following academic styles.
This oneiric artist, reminiscent of Dalí or Garouste, has some affinity with the surrealist movement, which, for André Breton, aimed to deepen the dream state and conceive of artistic expression as a pure psychological activity. Indeed, the sky’s the limit for the creations of the unconscious in the fantasy works of Wang Haiyang, as illustrated, for example, by the figure of Freud whose skull opens up to release butterflies.
Wang Haiyang was born in 1984 in the province of Shandong. In 2008, he received his degree from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, where he specialized in painting and engraving. His painting talent was discovered early in his career, and has won him numerous awards. He currently lives and works in Beijing.
Exhibitions :
Summer group show
Ravage
State of mind
Here there nowhere
Don’t look back
Rhizomes


Born in Shandong province, China in 1984
Currently lives and works in Beijing, China
2008
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, China.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2019
Skins, Solo Project at Artissima 2019, presented by Capsule Shanghai, (New Entries Section), Turin, Italy
2018
Ravage, Galerie PARIS-B, Paris, France
Wang Haiyang, Capsule Shanghai, Shanghai, China
Wang Haiyang, WHITE SPACE BEIJING, Beijing, China
2017
By Himself, OCAT, Xi’An, China
2016
New Directions: Wang Haiyang, Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, China
Dynamic Field: Wang Haiyang, Minsheng Art Museum, Shanghai, China
2013
Rhizomes, Galerie PARIS-B, Paris, France
2012
The Metamorphosis, White Space Beijing, China
2009
Untitled, Today Art Museum, Beijing, China
2008
Boys, Today International Art Gallery, Beijing, China
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2021
The 11th Seoul Mediacity Biennale, Seoul, Korea
The Opening Exhibition, Enclave Contemporary, Shenzhen, China
2020
终端 >_How Do We Begin?, X Museum, Beijing, China
2019
West Bund Art & Design 2019, White Space Beijing, Shanghai, China
We Didn’t Mean to Break It (But It’s Ok, We Can Fix It), Galeria Pedro Cera, Lisbon, Portugal
A White Space Odyssey, WHITE SPACE BEIJING, Beijing, China
Hic Sunt Leones, SURPLUS SPACE, Wuhan, China
Field Meeting Take 6: Thinking Collections, Asia Contemporary Art Week (ACAW), Dubai, UAE
Art Paris 2019, Galerie PARIS-B, Paris, France
Artissima 2019, Oval Turin, Italy
2018
REPLY, White Space Beijing, Beijing, China
Art Patrons, Qiao Space, Shanghai, China
Summer group show, Galerie PARIS-B, Paris, France
West Bund Art & Design 2018, Capsule Shanghai, Shanghai, China
2017
Bienal de Curitiba ‘17, Museu Oscar Niemeyer, Curitiba, Brazil
China-Art in Movement, The Castle Museum, Annecy, France
Recent Acquisitions, Recent Developments, Si Shang Art Museum, Beijing, China
Mediatine Prize, exhibition with the laureates, La Médiatine, Brussels, Belgium
2016
Poets of Beijing, Wiebengahal, Maastricht, Netherlands
Turning Point: Contemporary Art in China Since 2000, Minsheng Art Museum, Shanghai, China
Air – The 2nd «Ningbo» International Contemporary Art Exhibition, Ningbo Museum of Art, Zhejiang, China
Asia Now Paris 2016, Paris, France
2015
The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even, Pekin Gallery, Beijing, China
State of Mind – Painting China Now, Galerie PARIS-B, Paris, France
Impression of Xinjiang, National Art Museum of China, Beijing
2014
Mesolittoral: The 3rd Huayu Youth Award Nomination Exhibition, Huayu Art Center, Sanya, China
Don’t Look Back: Contemporary paintings in China, Galerie PARIS-B, Brussels, Belgium
Collection of Contemporary Art, Lille art Museum, Lille, France
2013
The Garden of Forking Paths, OCT-Contemporary Art Terminal, Shanghai, China
Discover the Next Great Master, Winshare Museum, Chengdu, China
2012
The World of Soul: As Virtual Artistic Engineering Shenzhen, Shenzhen Independent Animation Biennale OCT-LOFT, Shenzhen, China
The 9th Beijing Independent Film Festival, Songzhuang Art Center, Beijing, China
CAFAM Future Exhibition – Sub – Phenomenon: Ecology Report of Chinese Young Art, CAFA Art museum, Beijing, China
Focus on Talents Project Finalist Exhibition, Today Art Museum, Beijing, China
XinJiang The 1st Contemporary Art Biennale, Xinjiang International Exhibition Centre, Xinjiang, China
2011
Chinese Contemporary Prints, Today Art Museum, Beijing, China
Spectrum, A4 Contemporary Arts Center, Chengdu, China
2009
Chinese artist group exhibition, Seoul Museum, Seoul, Korea
Future – together, Arario Gallery, Beijing, China
2008
Germinators, China Square Gallery, New York, USA
AWARDS
2012
Focus on Talents Project Award Winner Today Art Museum, Beijing
China New film won Silver Dove 55th DOK Leipzig Film festival
Montreal’s 11th Sommets du cinéma d’animation
Has been selected by more than 20 festivals, including Melbourne International film festival,Annecy International animation Film Festival, World Festival of Animated Film-Animafest Zagreb, Fantoche, FESTIVAL TOUS COURTS, International Filmet Festival of Spain…etc
2010
His first movie won 25th Holland animation festival’s Grand Prix and has been selected by more than 15 festivals.
RESIDENCIES
2021
Pro Helvetia Studio Residency, Switzerland
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SUMMER GROUP SHOW
07/01/2018 - 07/28/2018 -
Wang Haiyang
RAVAGE
05/17/2018 - 06/16/2018 -
PAINTING CHINA NOW
STATE OF MIND
06/04/2015 - 07/31/2015 -
Group Show
HERE THERE NOWHERE
03/14/2015 - 04/18/2015 -
Group Show
DON’T LOOK BACK
06/12/2014 - 09/13/2014 -
WANG HAIYANG
RHIZOMES
09/12/2013 - 11/02/2013
Wang Haiyang, Double Fikret, 2016
Wang Haiyang, Freud, Fish and Butterfly, 2012