Hao Wang

Arts & Humanities (MFA)

Congkak's Dilemma 2023 Sculpture, Mixed Media For thousands of years, the inequality of education has always been a crucial topic. In this project, the porential risk factors catalyzing subjective education inequalities have been portrayed through a childish, traditional Malaysian board game, Congkak.

Keong Emas, 60x150cm Humans are anxious snails, snails are anxious humans. Nowadays, office ladies live, squirm, and metamorphose within endless rows of cubicles—uniform in appearance, yet starkly different in their isolation. Keong Emas, a traditional Indonesian myth, tells the story of a princess who transforms herself into a snail shell. This inspiration comes from my own experiences working at firms and observing my colleagues—we are gradually transforming from humans into snails, carrying our cubicle shells and urgently searching for suitable ones to inhabit. We unconsciously flit through a maze constructed by structural violence, hiding ourselves by becoming golden snails. The painting on canvas and the ceramic pieces are reflections of one another, with the key difference being that the figure in the painting is more structured and humanoid. The elements on the floor—con structed from sand dollars, oysters, and snails—represent the tangible reality of depersonalization. We fragment from a unified self into three sea creatures, each symbolizing currency, materialism, and social class. We enslave ourselves with our own salaries, trying to settle what remains unsettled—like oozing snail fossils encased in a glass vessel shaped like a snail shell—wander ing in search of a way to survive within these materialistic shackles, and yearning for a better version of ourselves as portrayed in the visionary painting.

About

Hao Wang is a multidisciplinary artist from Beijing whose work explores
themes such as Asian folklore, social inequality, and the lives of mar
ginalized communities. Following her family’s bankruptcy, she embarked
on a personal journey to observe the subtle and complex changes in
the world around her.

Hao has lived and studied in four vastly different countries—the United
States, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, and China. This multicultural
background has given her a unique lens through which to observe and
critique society. Her experience as a neurodivergent individual further
shapes her perspective, making her more of an observer than a partici
pant in many aspects of life.

She has worked as a consultant, security guard, and translator across
three countries—experiences that have inspired her to fictionalize stories
and delve into the struggles of people from various social classes and
cultural backgrounds.

Hao’s writing has been recognized by several awards, including the
WICAA Water Cup Competition organized by Gaoyuan Chen, and
featured in publications such as Beeline Magazine. Her stories often
center around individuals who grow up in stifling or oppressive environ
ments.

In addition to writing, Hao is a freelance translator from Bahasa Indone
sia to English, and her visual artwork often leans toward traditional
styles, reflecting her deep appreciation for cultural heritage.

Way to find me in this cruel world: akikosquid@hotmail.com

Ins:@akikosquid4444

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