About

 

Vivian Wong

Biography

Born on January 17, 1986 in Fairfax, Virginia.

Raised in Hong Kong and Bethesda, Maryland.

Attended Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, Maryland, 2000-2004.

Graduated from Cooper Union School of Art with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, 2004-2008. Concentrations in video/animation, photography, and drawing.

 

Statement

I am fascinated by the seduction of violence, and investigating acts of violence specifically in the context of war. Soldiers are trained to fantasize about aggression and brutality. I am not invested in the John Wayne myth of “courage” and “heroism” shown during combat situations; instead I am compulsively pulled into those moments of self-discovery that occur amidst the horrors of war. For me, the uniform is the site of transformation; it somehow contains shamanistic powers of protection in combat. It allows an individual to redefine him or herself in relation to a collective, literally and figuratively offering the body to a national identity. Initially, the possibility of anonymity, escape, and self-discovery attracted me to the military.  But notions of control, victimization, violence, pain, etc. inevitably crept into my investigation.

 

C.V.

 

Education

2008
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, New York, NY
Bachelor of Fine Arts.

Awards

2008
A. A. Low Fund Prize, The Cooper Union School of Art, New York, NY.

Selected Group Exhibitions/Screenings

2004-2008

• Cooper Union, New York, NY: End of the Year Show.

2008

• "Art Slam" (presentation), Asian American Arts Center, New York, NY.
• "Shorts by Women", Atlanta Underground Film Festival, Atlanta, GA.
• "Bearded Child Film Festival", Grand Rapids, MN.
• Baltimore Women's Film Festival, Baltimore, MD.
• “Found” exhibition, Voorkamer, Lier, Belgium.
• “Dear Jessica and Other War Narratives” (Solo), Great Hall Gallery, Cooper Union, New York, NY.
• "Art and Design on Film Series", Manifest gallery, Cincinnati, OH.
• "Spark Video International" 2008 screening, Spark Contemporary Art Space, Syracuse, NY.

2007           

• “New Experimental Works”, Other Cinema, San Francisco, CA.
• “One Year Anniversary Show”, Fette’s gallery, Los Angeles, CA.
• “Modern Day House of Horrors”, Artist Collective, Brooklyn, NY.
• Evil City Film Fest, East Village, NY.
• Whitehot Magazine Festival, New York, NY.
• National Museum of Women in the Arts Film Festival, Washington D. C.
• Los Angeles Erotica Film Festival, Los Angeles, CA.
• Bushwick Film Festival, Brooklyn, NY.
• San Diego Women’s Film Festival, San Diego, CA.
• “Animation Attack!”, Atlanta Underground Film Festival, Atlanta, GA.
• “Confessional” screening, Gitana Rosa, Brooklyn, NY.
• “Floating World Animation Festival”, Floating World Comics, Portland, OR.
• “Spark Video International” screening, Spark Contemporary Art Space, Syracuse, NY.
• “Reflections in War, Visions for Peace: Artist Perspectives on Four War Years”, Busboy and Poets, Washington D.C.
• “Octagon and Personal Effects”, Fette’s gallery, Los Angeles, CA.            

Bibliography

2007

• New York: Screen Capricious DVD
• United Kingdom: Head Magazine issue # 45.

2006

• France: JHON#17.
• United States: mooncruise* September vol. 2, issue 2.04.
• Australia: “anything i like” #32 artist interview.

Work Experience

• Assistant for Rea Tajiri, filmmaker
• Intern for Martha Colburn, artist and animator
• Butterfly pinner at Evolution Nature store
• Intern for Todd Eberle, photographer