Jingyi Wang | Experience at The Black Holes, Riga
Artist Jingyi Wang recently concluded her experience as the winner of the Special Prize – Artistic Residency in Riga, Latvia, created by the partner The Black Holes.
The artist currently lives in Bergen, Norway, although she was born in Beijing, China. She studied performing arts in France, Belgium, and Denmark, which led her to become a live art creator. Wang’s work is interdisciplinary, with live performance as its foundation, often involving local communities and audiences. One of the key characteristics of her work is the incorporation of curatorial concepts and in-depth research into her creations, partly thanks to her previous studies and work in journalism and communication before becoming an artist. Her artistic career began with the conception of an original theater concept: Static Theater, where there are no actors. Instead, Jingyi Wang creates experiences of time and space through live art pieces. Her most recent series, “Performative Events – The Value Trilogy,” explores real social events as references, recreating the rules to push the boundaries between reality and performance, inviting reflection on current social paradigms. The second piece in this series, JUDGE ME, selected for the final exhibition of the Arte Laguna Prize, follows the first piece, Post Capitalistic Auction.
Below, discover an interview with the artist.
You are a finalist of the Arte Laguna Prize 18th and have also been selected as the winner of a Special Prize—congratulations! How did you feel when you received this news?
Thank you! I was surprised and thrilled. I received the news from a friend who had sent me the application link just two days before the deadline. It was my first time applying for the Arte Laguna Prize, or any art prize, for that matter. Although my projects have always crossed over between performing art and contemporary art, engaging professionals from both sides, I’ve been more recognized in the performing arts scene. I am grateful for this surprise and excited to have my work shown to a broader contemporary art community. And I didn’t expect to also win a Special Prize.
During your residency in Riga, Latvia, you had the opportunity to meet other artists from different countries. Has this experience given you new ideas and the possibility to learn about different cultures?
For sure! During the Black Holes Residency, we had artists from New York, Slovakia, and Serbia. We had very different practices and working methods. Our diverse backgrounds and approaches helped me break out of my comfort zone. Latvia itself was a new experience for me, despite its geographical proximity to Norway, where I am based. I’ve lived in various regions and countries outside my hometown, such as Hong Kong, Denmark, Belgium, France, Italy, and now Norway, and I’ve also traveled extensively. But Latvia felt like nowhere else I’ve ever been—almost like a dreamland, which I think is partly due to its history and geopolitical position. While this experience may not immediately reflect in my next work, I have a feeling it will leave a deeper imprint on my art and life in the future.
Your works deal with performance, and in most of your pieces, the audience plays an important role and can interact to become part of the performance. Can you tell us more about this?
Right. I believe that whenever there are spectators, there is performance. Perhaps that’s why in French, performing arts are called spectacle vivant. However, I am opposed to forcing the audience to participate in a performance without necessity, as it deprives them of their right to be spectators. The audience’s engagement must be necessary and organic. For example, in the first work of the “Performative Events – Value Trilogy”: Post Capitalistic Auction—a performative art auction—the audience members are also the bidders, meaning their role is fundamental for the show to continue. Still, the audience can choose to simply observe without participating in the bidding. In the second piece, JUDGE ME—a performative court trial selected by the Arte Laguna Prize—the audience serves as the jury. And yet, not every audience member must participate. In the third piece, Voice to Voice—a performative journalism project I am currently working on—the audience members are the interviewees, playing a fundamental role in the performance without being aware of it.
What are your projects for the future?
The next upcoming project is Post Capitalistic Auction, which will be performed at the Hong Kong Asia+ Festival. It’s a real art auction but with alternative rules. Imagine that all the artworks are real, the transactions are real, and all bids are binding. However, the twist is that you can bid for artworks not only with money but also with opportunities, understanding, and exchanges. The artists will be present at the auction to engage in direct dialogue with the bidders and decide who will walk away with their works. If a deal is made, the two parties will sign a contract with the facilitation of a lawyer. There will also be a panel offering suggestions to both bidders and artists, but the final decision remains with the artists. Before the auction, there will be a preview vernissage, and an auction catalog will be distributed. After the auction, there will be a panel discussion. It’s a full package. I created this work and premiered it in 2018 in Norway, and it has since been invited to prominent performing art festivals and art centers in Yokohama and Toronto. The upcoming performance will be the fourth edition. Each edition differs in terms of artists, artworks, bids, and conversations.
Unfortunately, and fortunately at the same time, the performance will take place on the same day as the opening ceremony of the Arte Laguna Prize, on November 16th. As the director and creator, I have to be in Hong Kong. However, the performance will be live-streamed, and I am happy to share the live stream link with all the guests of Arte Laguna.
Another project I am preparing is Voice to Voice, as I mentioned earlier. It explores the connections and deviations between individuals’ sense of self-worth and their jobs, reflecting on our value system and work mechanisms. I developed a mobile interview installation with which I conducted about 60 interviews in different cities in China. I further explored the possible structure of the interview installation during the Black Holes Residency. In the end, a video installation of the interview documentation and a live performance with the interview installation will be presented in Norway in October 2025.