Evelyn Taocheng Wang: Friendship

In her work, Wang explores cultural identities and social relationships. The title Friendship of her installation for the Museum Ludwig refers to a painting of the same name by the North American painter Agnes Martin (1912–2004), whom she admires. For her paintings, she selects a background from Martin’s geometric-minimalist paintings, which she names in the painting and copies by hand in its entirety. She complements the ‘Martin-esque’ background with perfectly painted pieces of cake and characters from the children’s television programme Die Sendung mit der Maus, combined with real or seemingly traditional Chinese details such as self-invented stamps or handwritten text passages add a layer of content to the visual level of the works. In this way, Wang enters into a direct dialogue with visitors and presents fictional conversations. The painted pieces of cake become symbols of celebration, togetherness and enjoyment, while at the same time raising questions about belonging, cultural hybridity and personal memories. With a sculptural installation consisting of two round gates in the Museum Ludwig, Wang invites visitors to enter the presentation and enjoy it with all their senses. A video work complements the installation.