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Matthew Wong

CanadianCanadian
, b. 1984

Wong's artistic journey commenced with photographic experiments in 2009, evolving during his tenure as a photography student at City University in Hong Kong. Disenchanted with the prospect of pursuing photography professionally, Wong turned to drawing in 2012 and ventured into landscape painting in 2014. Returning to Canada in 2016 and settling in Edmonton, Wong shared his paintings on Facebook, catching the attention of White Columns Gallery's curator, Matthew Higgs. This connection led to exhibitions in New York and Hong Kong, with curator Jerry Saltz lauding Wong's 2018 solo show at Karma Gallery as "one of the most impressive solo New York debuts." Wong's works, often scarce in the open market, have become sought after at auctions. In 2020, his small watercolor, "Untitled," fetched four times its estimated price, signaling a growing demand for his art. Notably, his first large auctioned painting, "The Realm of Appearances," sold for US$1.82 million in July 2020, surpassing its original estimate twentyfold. Another painting, "River at Dusk," achieved a remarkable sale of $4.86 million in December 2020, quadrupling its initial estimate. Despite his rising prominence, Wong's Edmonton studio remains untouched, a testament to the artist's roots and creative process.