Boyuan Wang<br/> — Artsinsquare

Boyuan Wang

Boyuan Wang's self-portrait series is a captivating exploration of identity and societal norms, characterized by a blend of humor and absurdity. Depicting himself as an androgynous worm, Wang challenges rigid gender roles and societal expectations. Inspired by Fernando Pessoa, his work explores various facets of identity, desires, and emotions in diverse settings—from a business office to luxurious environments. Through these imaginative and humorous depictions, Wang critiques societal norms and encourages viewers to embrace a broader understanding of identity and the human experience.

Artsin Square

Drawn to anomalies and absurdity, my works employ imagination and humour to reflect and rethink identity, sexuality, social constraints, and underlying ideologies. I try to explore the possibilities of life, its limitations, and the vast unknown. Influenced by Fernando Pessoa, who wrote under various fictional pseudonyms, My current work is a series of drawings that serve as self-portraits exploring my possibilities, desires and emotions, These drawings depict me as an androgynous worm with with bobbies and willy, having distinctive features, experiencing diverse environments. Sometimes, I exude vigour and vitality in an office with a glossy hairstyle, expressing my longing to be normal. I may be adorned with luxury jewellery, showing contempt behind a chandelier. During the wee hours, different versions of myself emerge, representing my fear, grief, despair, and joy.

Artist Statement

Instagram: wang_boyuan_

Website: wangboyuan

Self-portrait - A Loafer Enjoying a Fart, graphite on paper, 21 x 29.7 cm, 2023

Your drawings also depict different versions of yourself emerging during the wee hours, Representing fear, grief, despair, and joy. How do you navigate the complexities of these emotions through your artwork, and what narratives do they convey?

My work "Party in the Wee Hours" stems from my personal experience. I am an indecisive person, and some nights before sleep, I find myself imagining that I am different characters with various personalities, some of which are even contradictory. On the right-hand side of this drawing, I am happily dancing, twisting my body to music, while on the left-hand side, I am petrified by the horrible things happening in front of me. In the middle of this drawing, I am floating, with halos emitting from me, imagining myself as the god and center of my world. On the bottom right, I am lying on the ground, curling my body, feeling ashamed and shy. These depictions of myself do not follow a linear narrative; they coexist on the same plane, illustrating the complexity of my identity.

Humour seems to play a significant role in your work. How do you use humor as a tool for reflection and critique, particularly in addressing societal norms and ideologies?*

Humour has the power to break imposed power structures and reverse dynamics, relieving feelings of inferiority. It helps me relieve the stress society has placed on me, given the numerous rules I encounter daily; breaking some of them brings relief and enjoyment. Sometimes, being offensive is fun because it challenges underlying ideologies and provides an opportunity to reflect on those mindsets. Humor violates norms and helps me discover novelty. For instance, in my work "Testing Ground," I depict a foot wearing a high heel shaped like a penis. By combining features from different genders, I question the societal stereotypes placed on gender.

Can you discuss the role of imagination in your artistic process and how it allows you to push the boundaries of representation and storytelling in your drawings?*

**Answer:** Imagination is a powerful tool for experimenting and exploring various possibilities, as seen in works like the sci-fi novels of Ursula Le Guin and "Invisible Cities." In my self-portrait series, I start by writing a short story for my new character, using my imagination extensively at this stage. These writings help me stand in others' shoes and experience feelings and mindsets that do not belong to me. Imagination helps me break physical limitations. In my work "Caroline’s Dinner Party," I imagined myself as being rich and living a luxurious life. I adorned my androgynous worm body with shiny accessories, showing my contempt behind the chandelier.

How do you approach the visual representation of sexuality in your self-portraits, and what messages or conversations do you hope to evoke through these depictions?*

**Answer:** I try to normalize sex by depicting it explicitly in my self-portrait series. In China, sex is often seen as a shameful and taboo topic. I aim to express my attitude toward sex, which is just a normal part of being human, akin to our needs to eat and sleep. Additionally, I strive to liberate myself from the social norms and gender stereotypes by presenting myself as androgynous in all my drawings. I encourage the audience to embrace their feelings, regardless of whether they align with social norms, whether they are feminine or masculine, normal or weird.

Your drawings explore the possibilities and limitations of life. How does this theme intersect with your personal experiences and observations, and how do you translate these reflections into visual narratives?

**Answer:** My day-to-day life is somewhat regular and limited, but I can always find excitement in imagination. I experience freedom and new possibilities through imagination. Sometimes, I explore possibilities by reflecting on social constraints and studying the depths of humanity. Other times, I explore new possibilities with only casual and random things. In my self-portrait series, I try to empathize with different characteristics and feelings, whether they are evil or kind, relaxed or stressed. For the work "SEE IT, SAY IT, SORTED," I was inspired by the London Underground slogan: “If you see something that looks unusual… see it, say it, sorted.” I think everyone has certain unusual and weird aspects within them, so I depict an underground scene with all these bizarre creatures.

:Looking ahead, what new directions do you envision for your exploration of identity, absurdity, and humor in your artwork? Are there any specific themes or concepts you're eager to delve into further?

**Answer:** Currently, I am delving into society and other beings through my artistic practice while continuing my self-portrait series. I find inspiration in placing myself within others and imagining different possibilities. I am also focused on enhancing my visual language by experimenting with watercolor monotype printmaking and charcoal drawing.

Describe a real-life situation that inspired you.

**Answer:** Traveling is a big part of my inspiration. In a new place where no one knows who I am, I sort of become a different person. When I travel, I often encounter amazing stories. The work "Victor Asked, ‘Do you wanna go swimming with us?’" is inspired by my travel experience in Croatia. That was the first time I traveled to a foreign country as a solo traveler. I met Victor at a hostel, along with many other travelers. We went on a lot of adventures in Zagreb, exploring the streets, architecture, the lake, and the cave. I picked elements from my personal memories and recorded my story in a metaphorical way in this drawing.

Self-portrait, Alyosha, graphite on paper, 42 x 29.7 cm, 2023

In some of your drawings, you portray yourself exuding vigor and vitality in an office setting, while in others, you may express longing or contempt through different environments and adornments. How do these contrasting representations contribute to your exploration of identity and social norms?

"Office Hour" is part of a series of self-portraits featuring an imaginary version of myself—an androgynous worm placed in various environments and surrounded by different materials. In "Office Hour," I imagined myself in a business meeting with a group of eccentric creatures. There's a worm with numerous pits lying on the table with a puddle of tears, a careless creature picking its nose with its eyes rolling, and more. Each creature attaches a dark ball to its body, akin to wearing a uniform, symbolising their belonging to the team despite being fundamentally different beings. They choose to standardise themselves to foster a sense of unity and belonging.

As for me, I envision myself as a white-collar businessman working in an office with glass walls, surrounded by skyscrapers in the downtown city. In this setting, I feel utterly normal and successful, exuding vigor and vitality. The smoothness of my life brings me more happiness than anyone else. Nobody judges me for being different; I'm just an average middle-class working man leading a well-ordered life filled with enjoyment and satisfaction.

In my self-portrait "Caroline’s Dinner Party," I am dressed with fancy accessories and standing in front of a luxurious curtain, arrogantly showing off my wealth. In these drawings, I explicitly show my sexual organ to normalise sex.

AccuracyYouCanTrust, oil on panel with blood pressure monitor, 22x22, 2024

Hi Boyuan, tell us about your background. How and when did you first start to create?

I gained my bachelor's degree from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in China and my master's degree from the Royal College of Art. My interest in art started in my childhood. I was first intrigued by comics and anime; I loved the different art styles combined with interesting stories. I became serious about art when I was in middle school, starting to learn traditional sketching techniques, color theories, and different art materials. Before going to college, I made many doodles and anime characters. Then, I started to create more serious work in art school.

How do you begin to work? What is your process like?

I usually find inspiration in different places, such as my day-to-day life, personal memories, and literature. Then, I do some research and writing. My process is dynamic; sometimes, I let my practice evolve as I experiment with the materials and my thoughts. Other times, I limit myself to certain materials and develop my practice in depth. For my self-portrait series, I was initially inspired by literature such as "Steppenwolf" and "The Book of Disquiet." These authors explore the depths and possibilities of self. I started by writing stories that imagine and explore different versions of myself. Then, I made some thumbnail sketches and chose one that I thought had the most potential to work on. In this process, I deliberately limited myself to graphite drawing so that I could develop my visual language with this medium.

Your work delves into anomalies and absurdity while using imagination and humor to explore themes of identity, sexuality, and social constraints. Could you discuss how these elements manifest in your artistic practice and what drives your exploration of the vast unknown?

Humor plays an important role in my life; when it happens, it can help me release stress and explore something different and new. Humor has a deconstructive power that allows me to reflect on my thoughts and widespread ideologies. For instance, I draw sexual organs explicitly in my works to express my thoughts on sex. I try to normalize it by showing them freely. I also draw myself as an androgynous worm to express my thoughts on sexuality, imagining a world where people would not define someone by their physical sex and where sex can be expressed more freely. I find meaning in life from these unusual moments. The vast unknown always fascinates me; sometimes it might be dangerous, but it is always new and different. I love the excitement of learning new things through exploring it.

You mentioned being influenced by Fernando Pessoa and his use of fictional pseudonyms. How does this influence manifest in your series of drawings that serve as self-portraits, and what significance do these pseudonyms hold for you?

Inspired by Fernando Pessoa, who crafted around 80 pseudonyms, each with unique personalities and writing styles, I started to explore my own identity. Pessoa’s attempt to understand the self resonates deeply with me. Drawing from my personal experiences and the diverse cultures I have encountered—Japanese, Chinese, and Western—I express my inner desires and struggles through imaginative depictions of myself, such as a worm wearing a bow tie or a character in an office setting. Through this creative process, I delve into various dimensions of my identity, including my sexuality, social roles, occupations, and the many facets of my personality. This exploration allows me to uncover and understand the complexities and depths of who I am.

Your self-portraits depict you as an androgynous worm with distinctive features, experiencing diverse environments. Can you elaborate on the symbolism behind this portrayal and how it reflects your exploration of possibilities, desires, and emotions?

There are many types of creatures in nature, each with different sexual systems. Although humans biologically have two sexes, I always imagine what it would be like if we had more genders and more possibilities. I try to liberate myself from physical reality and imagine myself as an androgynous worm, free from the constraints of sex and even the need to be human. I experiment with different possibilities by depicting myself with various adornments in diverse environments. For example, in my self-portrait "Nowan is Worried," I imagined myself as an impaired creature living in a dumpster. My voice is blacked out, and I become invisible. Through these imaginative experiments, I explore and express my fears.