Introducing Tristan Wu, a contemporary artist from Taiwan
Tristan Wu was born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in 1989.
He grew up in Taiwan and the United Kingdom.
During his student years in Taiwan, a rebellious response to a culture that pushed children and students to their limits—and to the Taiwanese education system—led him to begin drawing satirical sketches.
Tristan Wu is a self-taught artist.
He draws inspiration from a strict, almost military family environment, the Chinese civil war, Taiwanese religious beliefs, his experiences as a sportsman, and his ties between Europe and Asia.
Through fragmentary episodes of scenes of domination and rebellion, he recreates those moments with humor laced with joy and rage, building a world of conquerors led by Hysterical Mitch, a fictional hero who fights for justice.
Taking on a range of roles—emperor, military commander, CEO, or rugby player—the hysterical state of this perfect anti-hero gives form to our contemporary anxieties: war, memory, sport, technology and education.
Tristan Wu pours overwhelming energy into his work.
Faithful to his dual culture, his pieces powerfully interweave Asian cultural forms with images from globalized pop culture.
With his vivid, sincere and striking work, Tristan Wu astonishes those of us in today's world of figurative painting.
[Biography]
Solo Exhibitions2022 Muscle Up, Whimsy Works, Taipei, Taiwan
2021 Playground, 182artspace, Tainan, Taiwan
2020 Le Réservoir, Sète, France
2020 Whaaaaat's Studio Opening, International Contemporary Art Fair, Taipei, Taiwan
2019 Asia Now, Paris Asian Art Fair, Paris, France
2019 Le Réservoir, Sète, France
Selected Group Exhibitions
2022 Square Number One, Equal Art, Taichung, Taiwan
2021 Mobile Village / Yun-Chia-Chia-Ying Visual Art Link, Tainan & Chiayi, Taiwan
2021 Cool Kids, Moosey Art at Hoxton Arches, London, UK
2020 Le Réservoir, Sète, France
2019 Asia Shot, Asian Art Fair, Sète, France
2019 La Serre, Montpellier, France
2018 Le Réservoir, Sète, France
2018 Fanzine Festival, Paris, France
[Works]
Workers Overwhelm
H2000×W1600(mm)
Acrylic on military canvas
These heavy laborers are pros. Each dumbbell weighs more than 100 kg! They must always be ready to deliver maximum power performance! They march carelessly, grinding and colliding against one another, swelling ever larger! Expanding! Everyone fights to stand out on their own! Every single one of them is trying their hardest to be seen! lol
Workers X - 1
H1600×W1590(mm)
Acrylic on military canvas
Nameless laborers—unemployed by any company, unkempt, impossible to identify—march in near-perfect order and keep expanding. Before long, this landscape will be filled with nothing but the colors that represent them. Each one proudly wears the uniform I made! Every single one wants to stand out! Every single one longs to be noticed. They can become whatever they wish to be.
Workers X - 2
H1700×W1600(mm)
Acrylic on military canvas
The temple people. My favorite Buddhist-statue heads—Nezha the contrarian sprite, the Third Prince warrior, and in Taiwan the Huoche neon god—are worn as Wu Tech's most cutting-edge helmets! (lol) Awesome! No one knows who these helmet-wearers are: unemployed by any company, unkempt, unidentifiable, and free of all prejudice! They can take any form! They march in ranks that keep spreading wider! Before long the landscape becomes theirs
Workers X - 3
H1700×W1600(mm)
Acrylic on military canvas
Nameless laborers—unemployed by any company, unkempt, impossible to identify—march in near-perfect order and keep expanding. Before long, this landscape will be filled with nothing but the colors that represent them. Each one proudly wears the uniform I made! Every single one wants to stand out! Every single one longs to be noticed. They can become whatever they wish to be.
[Concept Video]
Initiate Mitch 1 minute run
Trapped in a loop of everyday made-believe comforts in a seemingly friendly and ideal environment, getting out of it would require a group of incorporated personnel tasked with the administration to orchestrate and provoke, sometimes violent in the face of discouragement. There is the CEO, who sees the problem and signals the motion in rage and hysteria. There is Vicky, the executive secretary, who administrates and implements methods. There is the soldier, who muscles and has fun. And there is Mitch.Mitch is on the upper deck above their world. He is the simplest version of them all, an absurd personality, trapped in a loop full of images, heroes and legends made out of him. It was thought that he was the way out but he can never escape from the constant call for hostile circumstances.
Within a seemingly friendly, ideal environment, they are trapped in a loop of everyday comforts. To break out of it, the staff of the administrative division take command, provoking and at times resorting to violence. The management orchestrates, provokes, and sometimes drives others to despair to the point of violence. There is the CEO, who senses the problem and signals the motion in rage and hysteria. There is Vicky, the executive secretary, who administrates and implements the methods. There is the soldier, who builds muscle and has fun. And there is Mitch. Mitch is on the upper deck above their world. He is the simplest being among them, an absurd personality—trapped in a loop full of images, heroes and legends he himself created. He was thought to be the way out, yet he is forever called upon by hostile circumstances and can never escape.
Pull The Pin
The burn-out process of Hysterical Mitch, buried deep within! It's a bloody jungle where the fruits are grenades! Boom!
The burn-out process of Hysterical Mitch, buried deep within! A bloody jungle where the fruits are grenades! Boom!
Supernova
Overthrown! Overflown! Overwhelmed! Invasion! Invasion! Invasion! They’ve come to us, in human form, more or less… Half-shrimp Policeman! Zap! Zap! Zap! It’s a fucking zoo! Only animals are friends. Only Buddha (菩薩) can save us! Only Taiwanese temples can yield that kind of power! We will party till the whole shit blows over! Drinks all night! Dance of the tiger! Pub! Beer! Rugby! Happy Chinese New Year! Nezha of heaven, third prince warrior, neon god on fire wheels of Taiwan (三太子) kicks their arses! Zap! Zap! Zap! Their true form reveals! Nothing but dummies! Dummies! Soulless! Sucked back up into the void of space! Overthrown!
Leap over it! Overwhelmed! Invasion! Invasion! Invasion! Here they come, in roughly human form—Half-Shrimp Policeman! Zap! Zap! Zap! It's a damn zoo! Only the animals are our friends. Only Buddha (Bodhisattva) can save us! Only Taiwanese temples can summon that kind of power! We'll party until this whole mess blows over! Drinking all night long! Dance of the tiger! Pub! Beer! Rugby! Happy Chinese New Year! Nezha of heaven, the Third Prince warrior, the neon god on the fire-wheels of Taiwan (San Tai Zi), kicks their butts! Zap! Zap! Zap! Zap! Zap! Their true form is revealed! Nothing but dummies! Dummies! Soulless! Sucked away into the far reaches of space!
Outlet Remastered（Long Movie）
Revolving around Solution Corp., a subsidiary of Wu Tech Industries, Outlet is about fake integration, oppression, corporation, ambition, a lot of brute fun and mixed lore in the process of finding the solution. In this piece, I present a more realistic sense of my world, from trying to rise to the top in the megapolitan environment to ruins of a Veteran’s Village.
Centered on Solution Corp., a subsidiary of Wu Tech Industries, Outlet depicts fake integration, oppression, corporations, ambition, plenty of bold fun, and the various legends woven into the process of finding a solution. In this piece, I portray my world in a more realistic way—from striving to climb to the top in a megacity environment to the ruins of a Veteran's Village.
[Staff Comment]
His works overflow with wonderfully expressive figures. He captures all their emotions—joy, anger, sorrow and delight—in a pop, humor-filled style.
The motif is middle-aged men, yet with rows upon rows of them and vivid, colorful palettes, the works also carry a charming, endearing quality! This time it is a solo exhibition—please do come and see it!
[Exhibition Information]
■PROFILE：Tristan Wu
Recreating scenes of domination and rebellion through fragmentary episodes brimming with humor, and etching in a joyous rage, Tristan Wu draws contentment from a fictional organization and builds a world of conquerors. Through the roles of emperor, military commander, company CEO, or simply an athlete, the hysteria of this perfect anti-heroic sentiment becomes the mise-en-scène of our contemporary struggles—war, memory, sport, technology, style and education.
Dates: Monday, October 24 – Sunday, October 30, 2022. Hours: 10:00 – 21:00
*Hours may change due to the impact of COVID-19. Please check the official website for the latest information.
*On the final day, the exhibition will be open until 20:00.
Admission: Free
Venue: +ART GALLERY
Address: Shibuya Scramble Square, Shops & Restaurants 14F
(2-24-12 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0002)
Access: About 30 seconds to 1 minute from JR Shibuya Station (Yamanote Line, Shonan-Shinjuku Line), Tokyo Metro Shibuya Station (Fukutoshin Line, Hanzomon Line, Ginza Line), and Tokyu Shibuya Station (Toyoko Line, Den-en-toshi Line)
The works are available for purchase on-site, and will also be sold online during the exhibition period.
Online Shop: https://pls-art-shop.com/
Organized and produced by: Plus Art Inc.
Artist: Tristan Wu
