Interview with Juanni Wang

ART, WHATEVER IT TAKES

Since the early pandemic in 2020, Rome Art Program has conducted a series of interviews, “Art, Whatever It Takes.”
Artists, Art Critics, and Art Historians living in Italy, the U.S., and U.K., share their insights during these powerful times.

Born in WeiNan, China, in 1982, Juanni Wang graduated from the University of Shanghai with a degree in Art and Design. In 2015, she attended the Academy of Italian Language in Assisi. In 2017, she graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome with a degree in Painting, submitting a thesis entitled ‘The mirror as a soul inside painting’. Her work is held in private collections in Italy, the USA, France, Canada, Switzerland, and Malaysia, as well as in the Vatican Museums. Juanni currently manages and curates the Shanghai Dong Ni Gallery, and is president of a cultural association, in Rome. Juanni is an internationally renowned painter who has held numerous solo and group exhibitions in China (Beijing and Shanghai), Egypt, Malaysia, France and Italy.

RomeArtProgram: What is your definition of "art" today?

Juanni: Art today is difficult to define, so instead of trying to define it, we should seek to understand the art that cannot be defined.

RAP: Art is dynamic and regenerates itself... how has it changed, and how has it changed us?

Juanni: Art is born from life, is dynamic and constantly evolving. During this transformative process, we follow our inner voice to create art, which in turn changes and influences us invisibly.

RAP: When and how did you understand that art was becoming very important in your life?

Juanni: When I moved from Shanghai to Rome, art became as essential to me as air and water, it became an inseparable part of my life.

RAP: What role does art play in your life today?

Juanni: Art plays a vital role and meaning in our lives today, nourishing our souls and transforming our lives by giving us energy and vitality.

RAP: Are there still traditional figures such as collectors, muses, patrons & mecenates still present in today's model of interaction between art and society?

Juanni: Collectors, muses, patrons, and supporters have always existed; it just takes the right time and place…

RAP: How have the new technologies and media culture changed art today, for better or worse? What challenges do they pose?

Juanni: New technologies and media culture are permeating traditional art and posing significant challenges to modern art. Over time, the same will happen to contemporary art.

RAP: Which is the real role of academies and art schools today? What can artists learn from these institutions today?

Juanni: The true role of academies and art schools today is to provide artistic training and education, as well as professional development, social practice and professional research for art-loving students. In this way, artists can achieve true artistic creation and research while acquiring a range of technical skills.

RAP: How do art galleries & museums position themselves today, and, in your opinion, how should they?

Juanni: Today art galleries and museums aim to disseminate knowledge of art, and, of course, to exhibit works.

RAP: …will art save us?

Juanni: In a certain sense, we must first save art, and in due time it will be able to save us too!

@juanniwang_artist

ART, WHATEVER IT TAKES

Since the early pandemic in 2020, Rome Art Program has conducted a series of interviews, “Art, Whatever It Takes.”Artists, Art Critics, and Art Historians living in Italy, the U.S., and U.K., share their insights during these powerful times.