Ai-Wen Wu Kratz — Contemporary Art Curator Magazine

Oct 10

Oct 10 Ai-Wen Wu Kratz

Biography

Ai-Wen Wu Kratz is originally from Hong Kong, where she had private lessons in watercolor paintings in her late teens. She received her art education mostly in the United States, where she had earned a Masters Degree in Painting and Printmaking from Cranbrook Academy of Art, Michigan. She currently works and lives in the Washington, DC Metro Area.

Wu-Kratz is from a family with six children. Her maternal uncles and aunts cherished and practiced calligraphy and Chinese ink paintings. Wu Zi-Fu, one of her uncles, was a noted calligrapher in the Guangdong Province, China. It is said that the government of People’s Republic of China does not allow to have his works exported out of China. In addition to the U.S., Wu-Kratz had one-person exhibitions in France, Germany, England, Egypt and Austria.

In 2021, in a group exhibition at the Luigi Bellini Museum, Florence, Italy, Dr. Mara Ferloni, art critic, commented on works by Ai-Wen Wu-Kratz, as follows:

In translation: ‘A fascinating language rich in meaningful forms with a dialectic indicating a style of maturity; an emotional lyricism which becomes a protagonist across a palpable rendering of forms. A scenic rendering full of joy, in which one is surrounded by a joy of colors which testify to a great creative sensitivity expressed in a language which preserves a fascinating poetry in its structural integrity.”

In Wu-Kratz’s words, her works are in search of ‘Spirituality, intellectualism and aesthetics.’ She hopes her works bring joy, light and relief to her viewers.

Artist Statement

Although my years living on a foreign land is beyond the years in my homeland, Hong Kong, the basic Asian values remain deeply rooted in me. My father supported my choice to be a painter. But he warned me that I need to be a moral person, because my art is bound to mirror who I am. I draw inspirations from nature, literature, classical music, stage designs,vocal art, choreographic lines in ballet and modern dance. I hope my works will bring joy and relief to others like ‘Molly Pitcher’s’ water delivered to the American soldiers during the Revolutionary War.

Email kratz@aiwenwukratzartstudio.com

Website https://www.aiwenwukratzartstudio.com

Instagramwww.instagram.com/aiwenwukratz1/

Country USA