Martin Wong: Malicious Mischief

February 25 - May 14, 2023

With "Malicious Mischief," the KW Institute for Contemporary Art presents the first comprehensive exhibition of the work of US painter Martin Wong in Europe.

The exhibition presents a selection of more than 100 works by the artist. It includes early paintings and sculptures, created in the euphoric atmosphere of the late 1960s and early 1970s in San Francisco and Eureka, California; in addition, Wong's iconic works, created in the 1980s and 1990s in run-down New York; and finally, his reminiscences of the imagery of East and West Coast Chinatowns, created shortly before his untimely death from an HIV-related illness.

About Martin Wong

Martin Wong (1946-1999) was a Chinese-American artist who gained reconigition for his works depicting life in the urban America of the 20th century. Wong's paintings explored queerness, ethnic and racial identity and street culture and often referenced the artistic practices of different cultures. By focusing primarily on Black and Latinx subjects, Wong challenged Eurocentric notions of the limited range of subjects appropriate for an Asian-American artist. His deceptively naive yet intellectually and psychologically complex works have been descriped as social realist and visionary. An avid participant in the street culture of NewYork City's Lower East Side in New York City, Wong was also one of the most important individual patrons of American graffiti art.

At a Glance

• Exhibition: Martin Wong: Malicious Mischief
• Location: KW Institute for Contemporary Art
• Start: 25 February 2023
• End: 14 May 2023
• Opening Hours: Wednesday to Monday: 11 am to 7 pm, Thursday: 11 am to 9 pm, Tuesday: closed
• Admission Fee:
  €8, reduced fee €6