Target Margin Theater(TMT): Tell us a little bit about yourself… where are you from, what makes you tick, and why are you interested in theater?

Wenkai Wang(WW): Originally from China, I am New York based filmmaker and photographer. As a multidisciplinary artist I am interested in understanding the archetype of human psyche through art making. At some point in my career, I come to realize that the style I have developed over the years involve a strong sense of theatricality, oftentimes in a controlled setting where things happen voluntarily. Recently I have been experimenting with shooting staged photography with highly controlled film lighting techniques, which again resembles how theater works in some ways. Artists who have great influence on me nevertheless have a common background in theater: Roger Ballen, Ingmar Bergman, Shunji Terayama, Emir Kusturica, Aledandro Jodoworsky, Antoni Arturd… I want to learn more about how does theater shape these minds.

TMT: What made you apply to Target Margin’s internship program?

WW: I first saw the play News of the Strange last year at the Target Margin Theater. I remember watching something that I could not quite comprehend but rather I got a rich, immersive experience that I didn’t imagine getting anywhere else. I got into “experimental theater” without knowing too much about the theater history, and I am excited to see what strategies TMT is going to take during the COVID phase and become part of it.

TMT: Was there a seminal production that led you to theater?

WW: I played George Wickham in Pride and Prejudice back in high school.There were a bunch of theatrical experiences I had that predates my highs school play, but as far as I can remember it was the first official theater production that I was involved.

TMT: What was your Covid quarantine experience? Was there anything you learned or did that has created a change in your life or led to a new direction?

WW: The takeaway from my quarantine experience is to take a step back and reevaluate my own consciousness without any distraction. That I again come to realize how much out there in the world are socially constructed concepts, which absolutely has nothing to do with the “ego”. I started reading a lot of Carl Jung, Alan Watts, and psychedelic counter-culture in the 60s and 70s. Questions that I have been pondering during lockdown are, what is the natural state of living and what it will be the new norm after Covid? How to reconnect the human mind with nature when apparently our bodies are physically stuck? How to resist so much toxic temptation out there and live a fulfilled life? Still I don’t have any answer but you know what let’s explore the universe together with TMT.

TMT: You previously did a project on 8th Avenue in Sunset Park. Can you tell us a little about that?

WW: It was a project I worked on for my advanced photojournalism class in Junior year. The Chinatown in Brooklyn is located between 6th Ave and Fort Hamilton Park, along with 56th and 40th st. The first Chinese immigrants to settle in Sunset Park were Cantonese speakers but since 2000 most newcomers are from the province of Fujian in the southeast of China where Mandarin is spoken. Fuzhou is the capital of the province so many have started to call the area around Eighth Avenue “Little Fuzhou.” The Chinatown on the 8th Ave gains its own importance and becomes part of the culture melt-pot in New York.

The 8th Ave Chinatown first caught my attention when I aimlessly idled in the area, realizing that I entered a world that is culturally related but geographically displaced. Years of living in the states throughout my teenage years make me feel perplexed with my Chinese diaspora identity. Through documenting and connecting with Chinese community on 8th Ave, in turn I find out how unfamiliar I feel about my own culture on a foreign land. I am particularly interested in religious community on 8th Ave, for the practice of religion are restricted and under surveillance in mainland China. The end result is a nostalgic spectacle that intrigues me to reflect on my own cultural identity. It is great to know that TMT works with local communities and creates a space to empower the people.

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Wenkai’s Website: www.wenkaiwang.site
Instagram: wen_kai_w