Artist Jordan Wong’s bold and expressive work has graced galleries throughout Postindustrial America and is currently showing in Pittsburgh.
Editor’s note: As a Chinese American whose childhood was filled with anime, manga, and video games, Jordan Wong creates drawings, characters, and icons to contemplate the hero’s journey, the game theory of leveling up throughout life, and the Ultimate Self.
Wong has produced large-scale installations and public artwork for the city of Cleveland, exhibited at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, and the Akron Art Museum.
You can check out his current show, PRACTICE +/—, at the Portal Art Gallery in Pittsburgh through the end of April.
“The artwork is inspired by the question, ‘What am I practicing?’
It stems from my ongoing examination of my thoughts, feelings, and emotions, which are repeated both consciously and—most importantly—subconsciously.
The work also celebrates the philosophy that play inspires practice and, in turn, fosters greater play, emphasizing the power that comes from complete freedom to explore, experiment, and express.
Spanning a range of media, the exhibition blends traditional techniques like screen printing and aquatint etching with contemporary industrial processes such as digital UV printing and laser engraving.
These dynamic methods reflect my layered approach, echoing my personal journey of identity as an artist and belonging as a second-generation Chinese American.”
