Tobias Wong (1974-2010)2 min read

2 comments


Vancouver-born artist Tobias Wong passed away this past weekend, in his apartment in New York. Wong was featured on the cover of Ricepaper issue 9.2. Our deepest sympathies go out to his friends and family.

Following is the official press release:

D. TOBIAS WONG, 1974-2010
D. Tobias Wong, the Canadian-born, New York-based artist and designer, passed away in the early morning of Sunday, May 30, 2010. He was 35.

Through his work, Wong helped bring forth much of what is now taken for granted in contemporary culture. Influenced by Dada and, especially, Fluxus, he questioned authorship through appropriation; held a mirror to our desires and absurdities; upended the hierarchy between design and art, and the precious and the banal; and helped redefine collaboration and curation as creative practices. Working within what he termed a “paraconceptual” framework, Wong prompted a reevaluation of everything we thought we knew about design: its production, its psychological resonance, its aesthetic criteria, its means of distribution, its attachment to provenance, its contextualization and its manner of presentation. Wong was a keen observer, an original mind, a brilliant prankster, and an unerring friend. Wong’s work was widely exhibited, including at the Museum of Modern Art and Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. His many projects included those for Colette, Comme des Garcons, Prada/OMA, Cappellini and Swarovski Crystal Palace.

In addition to the objects he created, re-created, repurposed, rarefied and otherwise manipulated, Wong’s work included events and happenings that included, among many others, a pop-up tattoo parlor at Art Basel Miami Beach/Design Miami and the Wrong Store, a “store” in New York that was in fact never open. (As with much of Wong’s work, both were collaborations.) Wong was named Young Designer of the Year by Wallpaper* magazine (2004) as well as the Brooklyn Museum of Art (2006). In 2008 and 2009, he served as founding co-creative director of 100% Design Shanghai, affiliated with the 100% Design fairs in London and Tokyo. Born and raised in Vancouver, Wong studied in Toronto before moving to New York in 1997 to attend the Cooper Union, from which he graduated with a major in sculpture. He is survived by his mother, stepfather, brother, partner and BFF.

2 comments

Tweets that mention Tobias Wong (1974-2010) | Ricepaper Magazine -- Topsy.com 4 June, 2010 - 5:10 pm

[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Jonathan Lin and hystericalblackness, Ricepaper Magazine. Ricepaper Magazine said: New on our website: Tobias Wong (1974-2010) http://bit.ly/dv7N83 […]

Reply
Jen 10 June, 2010 - 1:23 pm

This is really sad news. He was brilliant and made truly memorable artwork in the sea of forgettable self-expression. Wishing his family peace.

Reply

Leave a Comment