Snow in September: Kirk Ke Wang | Opening Reception & Artist Talk

The Hillsborough Community College Art Galleries is proud to present Snow in September, an exhibition of work by Kirk Ke Wang. This exhibition will be on display March 20 – May 11, 2023 at Gallery221@HCC Dale Mabry Campus.

Kirk Ke Wang (b. Shanghai, China) is a multimedia artist whose work focuses on critiquing modern stereotypes as a diaspora. Throughout his career, Wang has used painting, installation, mixed media, video and photography to present his vision of the world, led by a consistent thread: the fear of inexorable cataclysm. Wang’s solo exhibition in Gallery221@HCC draws inspiration from a 13th century Chinese play called The Injustice to Dou E, also known as Snow in Midsummer. In the story, the tragic and unjust death of Lady Dou E causes the heavens to snow during a hot midsummer day, thereby proving her innocence. Today, the story symbolizes injustice and tragedy, and in Wang’s exhibition Snow in September, the artist parallels the Chinese fable with abstracted images of more recent tragedies such as 9/11, calling to mind the moment when the twin towers collapsed and debris rained down like falling snow.  Through retelling tragedies, Wang tries to find a spiritual solace and the meaningfulness of being human.