Mona Wu, the seventh artist in SECCA's new curated sale series, Southern Idiom, is a Winston-Salem based printmaker.
October 26 to November 25
Mona Wu is a prolific printmaker who draws inspiration from nature and the traditional Chinese practice of woodcut relief printing.
Artist Statment
I was steeped in Chinese traditional art while growing up in China. I am also deeply interested in the ancient art form of the Chinese written language and literature. With this background I immigrated to the US in 1970. In 1996 I received my BA in Art History from Salem College in Winston-Salem which opened the door to western art for me.
Since 1996 I have been studying printmaking at Wake Forest University under Professor David Faber. For almost 10 years I immersed myself solely in printmaking. However since 2004 I've been slowly returning to the tradition of Chinese art, incorporating my Asian interests and knowledge into mixed media work. Specifically, I use woodcut relief in major part of my work because it was the very traditional medium my Chinese ancestors used to reproduced texts and illustrations.
My inspiration comes mainly from nature. Living in North Carolina affords me plenty of rich images with the abundant flora and fauna and seasonal changes. My natural subject matters often mingle with text in Chinese characters—a poetry of some sort in my mind.
– Mona Wu
The reception is free and open to the public.
Mona Wu's artwork will be available for purchase and will remain on display through November 25.
Located in SECCA's Preview Gallery, Southern Idiom is a new series that explores local artists and the variety of forms they produce. Past artists include Frank Campion, Kevin Calhoun, Eric Juth, Laura Lashley, Travis Philips, and Cindy Taplin. Artwork in the series is for sale, and proceeds benefit both the artist and SECCA's exhibition fund.
