Martin Wong (2)

Chinese-American painter and contemporary visual artist (11 July 1946, Portland, Oregon — 12 August 1999, San Francisco, California). Martin Wong was renowned for his innovative "visionary realism" and "multilingualism" approach, often exploring ethnic, racial and queer identities in his art. Wong's obituary in The New York Times described his work as "among the lasting legacies of New York's East Village art scene of the 1980s." Martin Wong is presented in prestigious permanent collections, including the Metropolitan Museum Of Art and the Syracuse University; his estate is managed by New York's P·P·O·W Gallery. Martin Wong grew up in San Francisco's Chinatown district and began painting as a teenager. Martin earned his Bachelor's degree in Ceramics in 1968 from Humboldt State University. In 1978, he relocated to New York City, settling on Manhattan's Lower East Side and focusing exclusively on painting. Martin met his boyfriend and primary collaborator, Miguel Piñero (1946—1988), at the '82 Crime Show exhibition at ABC No Rio, and they soon began living and working together. Piñero was a poet and playwriter and became one of the founders of the "Nuyorican" movement (uniting Puerto Rican poets, writers and artists in New York). Over the next few years, Martin and Miguel created some of their most significant and critically-acclaimed works, mutually inspiring and supporting each other. They collaborated directly, too, with some of Wong's paintings incorporating Piñero's writings. In 1993, Martin Wong presented his solo exhibition Chinatown Paintings at the San Francisco Art Institute, showcasing the artist's memories, experiences and interpretations of the "mythical quality of Chinatown." The following year, he was diagnosed with AIDS. Wong spent his final years in San Francisco, moving back with his parents as his health began to decline. He died, aged 53, from AIDS-related complications.