A ‘documenter of the constellation of social life’, Martin Wong (1946–1999) developed innovative approaches to technique and form, creating rich surfaces and intricate details from astrology, architectural space and various modes of language. Born in Portland, Oregon, and raised in San Francisco, California, he studied ceramics at Humboldt State University, graduating in 1968. Wong was active in the performance art groups The Cockettes and Angels of Light before moving to New York in 1978. He exhibited for two decades at notable downtown galleries in the city, including Exit Art, Semaphore and P·P·O·W, amongst others, before his passing in San Francisco from an AIDS-related illness. His work is represented in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, Bronx Museum of the Arts and Whitney Museum of American Art, all in New York, among others.
Martin Wong participates in Sharjah Biennial 16 as part of Bilna'es' project curated by Adam HajYahia.