Xiao Wang in Desiderata Oblongata

Jenny Montgomery, Desiderata Oblongata, March 10, 2025
I was immediately impressed with Xiao Wang’s work as soon as I walked into Hesse Flatow. Gorgeous, vibrant, lush, glossy, polished, cinematic paintings. A palette of rich blues and cyans, reds and oranges throughout. Repeated use of reflections, mirrors and windows. All of these elements come together in the dynamic centerpiece painting, Seeing Through, a panorama of a vibrant evening in a bar. I loved the still lives as much as the portraits with their fruits and vessels and frogs of good fortune near dusky blue windows. This show has some of the most beautifully rendered grapes I’ve ever seen. I read in an interview that he focuses on a lot of contrast in his work, including the contrast between “the clarity of the imagery and the ambiguity of the narratives.” I found this to so accurately describes his work, ambiguous, but intimate.