Wei Dong
Judge, 2005
Oil paint on linen
Gift from Vicki and Kent Logan to the Collection of the Denver Art Museum, 2015.621
© Wei Dong

“Judge” is modeled after the conventional deposition of Christ scene but features a hyper realistic nude Asian woman in the Christ-like role. She wears a crown of thorns, and is surrounded by six women in various states of undress. 

Wei Dong describes his works as “impulsive and emotional.” In 1999 he moved to the United States from China, and he began combining Chinese symbols and motifs with Western materials and methodology to create paintings that illustrate the intersection of two distinct visual histories and the effects of globalization. Neoclassical figures adorned in Chinese clothing, from military uniform to traditional robes, pose in theatrical narrative scenes. Female figures dominate his paintings, posing provocatively and replacing traditionally male roles.

Wei Dong was born in 1968 in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia. He received a BA in Fine Arts from Capital Normal University in China, and he currently lives and works in New Jersey.