The Art of Michael Wang: Hairy Crabs Sculpted from Algae and More

Meet award-winning American artist Michael Wang, who has installed a series of thought-provoking sculptures at Prada Rong Zhai.  The cultural center owned by fashion powerhouse Prada will be displaying his works until January 8, 2023.

The artist, whose Chinese grandfather used to speak of the hairy crabs of Lake Tai in China’s Yangtze Delta fondly, has put the crustaceans at the center of one of his installations.

He made small sculptures of crabs spilling out of a fishing boat from algae from Lake Tai itself. In this sense, producing the artwork aided in cleaning up the heavily polluted body of water.

The entire exhibition at Prada Rong Zhai shines the spotlight on man’s deteriorating relationship with nature, especially regarding landscape art in the Lake Tai (Taihu) region.

In one room of Prada Rong Zhai, visitors will encounter organic shapes that are re-imaginings of gongshi or scholar’s rocks in Chinese culture. The mansion’s unique traits, like skylights and stained glass, play up the beauty of the sculptures.

Furthermore, an old fireplace in the mansion doubles as a ‘pedestal’ for a series of small artworks that give the nod to early signs of human civilization around the lake.

Click the icon below to explore the world of art in China, where a new generation is holding a mirror up to society and taking experimentation to new heights.

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