The works of Taiwanese artist Jan-Ru Wan are truly one of a kind. From cascading drapes made with paper to billowing structures hung from the ceiling, her works are creative, innovative, and most importantly environmentally conscious. The various materials used in Wan’s works are re-used found objects, mostly those discarded from industrial factories such as textiles, coffee filters, spoons, wax, and plastic. She has even used personal materials such as human hair and her father’s shirts. These objects are used in her sculptures and installation work in which she reinvents their purpose. In addition, in her sculptural forms and site-specific works, Wan uses extremely strong concepts and themes. Her inspiration mostly stems from her life in America, specifically North Carolina, and how she struggles to express herself through Western culture. She also mixes different materials in order to further maximize their ability to evoke emotional responses from her audience.
For her inspiring and innovative work during the last two decades, Wan has won numerous awards including the Graduate of the Last Decade, or GOLD, award in 2006. She has also been awarded many major artist residencies in locations such as Morocco, Belgium, and the Netherlands. In addition, over the years, Wan has participated in 24 solo exhibitions as well as 44 group exhibitions. She has also held tenure-track professor positions at East Carolina University and North Carolina State University. Ultimately, for 20 awe-inspiring years, Wan’s works has mesmerized millions of people and hopefully she will continue to inspire our imaginations by her unique method of repurposing discarded materials for wonderful and emotionally stirring pieces of art.
Sources
1) “Bio – Jan-Ru Wan 萬珍如.” Janruwan, WUNC, 2019, https://www.janruwan.com/bio.
2) “Jan-Ru Wan: The Noise We Make.” The Mint Museum, ASC, 2019, https://mintmuseum.org/jan-ru-wan-the-noise-we-make/.
3) Logan, Jonell. “Jan-Ru Wan: The Noise We Make.” The Mint Museum, Durham Arts Guild, 14 June 2019, https://mintmuseum.org/jan-ru-wan-the-noise-we-make/..
4) “Meredith College Art Department Features Jan-Ru Wan.” Meredith College, 14 Feb. 2019, https://www.meredith.edu/news/meredith-college-art-department-features-jan-ru-wan.
(Presentation Link)
Jan-Ru Wan PechaKucha Presentation (1)