As a Chinese American artist whose childhood was filled with anime, manga, and video games, Jordan Wong (WONGFACE) became interested in creating drawings, characters, and icons to contemplate the hero’s journey, the game theory of leveling up throughout life, and the Ultimate Self.
Jordan has produced large-scale installations and public artwork for the city of Cleveland as well as exhibited at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh (2024 and 2020), Massillon Museum (2023), and Akron Art Museum (2021 – 2022). His artworks are in the collections of Meta (the parent company of Facebook), Akron Art Museum, Cleveland Public Library, University Hospitals, Laura and Fred Bidwell (founder and former executive director of FRONT Triennial, now concluded), and other private collectors.
Hello Jordan, thank you for joining our community. Can you please tell us about yourself?
First and foremost, thank you so much for inviting me to be a part of Li TANG! What an honor!
I am an artist working under the name WONGFACE. I am a third-generation (second-gen. born) Chinese American who originally grew up in Pittsburgh, although I currently live and work in Cleveland. Even with my love for color and graphic design, my art in its purest form is drawing. I love mark-making and think in terms of lines, whether physically made by hand or meticulously built on the computer. My practice involves working with fabricators to help me explore new possibilities for my drawings, whether they are traditionally printed on paper or industrially on metal, illuminated, or laser-engraved into materials like wood. These drawings, both small and large (like in my public works), are a way for me to explore and share ideas about how to navigate and grow from the hardships of life that are often internalized.
How does your childhood experience influence your current practice?
As a Chinese American kid growing up in a place where no one looked like me, I often felt like a foreigner. Wanting to fit in, I made little effort to learn Mandarin or Cantonese, despite my parents trying their best. This left me unable to speak with those who did look like me, specifically my own family members. I felt alone and insecure, struggling to find a sense of belonging. I believe that’s why I became so enamored with and inspired by stories of the hero’s journey found in anime, manga, and video games. I began drawing at the age of four as a way to express my fascination not only with these characters and what they represented but also with their iconic visual designs.
What themes or stories are you most passionate about expressing through your work?
I am enthralled with the Ultimate Self. What is it, actually? Does this ideal version of ourselves truly exist? If so, how do we unlock our fullest potential? Is it through trials and tribulations or experiences and epiphanies? Or perhaps it is innate, blooming again and again over time? Through fantastical imagery, personally crafted iconography, and tongue-in-cheek philosophical references to Taoism, Dualism/Nondualism, and others, I explore and encourage ideas on how to power up, learn a new special move, and defeat the mini and final bosses throughout life (then you realize there truly are none).
What has been the most exciting achievement or project related to your work so far?
This year, the City of Cleveland launched the Transformative Arts Fund, a program that will invest $3 million in public art projects throughout the city. Over 100 artists applied, and only seven lead artists/projects were awarded. I am honored to share that I am one of the seven!
With The Sculpture Center as my institutional partner and several other community partners’ support, we will create a new community space for Cleveland’s AsiaTown with public art and installations! AsiaTown is one of the city’s most prominent cultural neighborhoods, yet there are currently no public parks or outdoor places for gathering. At the end of this project, we hope to change this. This new, vibrant space, seamlessly blending art and creativity with design and utility, is dedicated to fostering community gatherings, elevating neighborhood safety and experience, celebrating the rich culture, ethnicity, and history of its residents, and inspiring the next generation of Asian American artists.
Secondly, my solo exhibition, Play is Infinite, opened this past summer at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. This exhibition explores the convergence and interplay between digital creation and physical production, aiming to inspire young creatives with new ideas of artmaking. Through playful imagery, unique symbols, and nods to philosophical concepts found in my work, Play is Infinite encourages the exploration of how we can grow and level up. Eight works are featured, three of which are permanently installed and part of the museum’s collection! The exhibition is on view until May 2025.
What does “community” mean to you? Does community, art-related or otherwise, influence your work?
If I were to put it simply, “community” is when everyone gathers to celebrate something (or someone) that we all love.
My work does not necessarily focus on a particular community in its entirety; rather, it is created to connect with individual viewers and their inner child. Within each of us lies a younger self who was constantly playing and falling in love with this fascinating world and its endlessly curious offerings. The “impossible, impractical, and infeasible'” never slowed us down in dreaming of all that is wondrous. We also carry within us a version of ourselves that has been hurt, mistreated, and discouraged—someone whose wounds have never healed and whose tears have never dried. My work is for that vulnerable, bright-eyed child within myself and others.
Do you have any advice that you would offer to others?
“What are you practicing?” This is a question I ask myself regularly, and it doesn’t just relate to my art or career. It’s a question I use to build greater self-awareness of what I say, do, think, and feel—especially when it comes to unhealthy or unhelpful habits. If I repeatedly think, “I’m not good enough,” then I am practicing self-doubt. If I make an effort to take breaks, get up, move my body, and drink water, I am practicing self-love in the form of self-care.
This is also connected to bringing more play into our daily lives, especially as artists. When I say “play,” I don’t just mean silly, frivolous, or indulgent activities (however, those are important too!), but also the freedom to enjoy our curiosities, explorations, and experimentations. Healthy practices lead to greater play, the foundation of creativity and self-expression.
So, what are you practicing? How can you play more in life?
text & photo courtesy of Jordan Wong
- Website: wongface.com
- Instagram: @wongface
