Stanley Wong (1960 - )

Born in Hong Kong in 1960, Stanley Wong is a maven in the advertising field who later became an artist. In a 20-year artistic career in graphic design and advertising, Wong has won many awards and taken on roles of Chief Executive and Creative Director for various international advertising companies. In 1993, Wong felt compelled to broaden his pursuits to discover a new artistic identity. Maintaining his passion for creative work and being an advocate for social development in commercial work, Wong ventured into conceptual art and photography under the moniker ‘anothermountainman’. He was named after Ming dynasty prince and artist-monk Bada Shanren (八大山人, literal translation, “Mountain Man of the Eight Greats”), an evocative ink painter who was known for his love for wordplay. Wong sought inspiration from this historical figure in nurturing his new artistic journey. 

‘anothermountainman’ gained international acclaim in 2005, mainly at the 51st Venice Biennale, where Wong represented the Hong Kong Pavilion through the work Red, White and Blue. The work was a teahouse constructed using the fabric of large canvas bags in vertical stripes of red, white, and blue commonly seen in Hong Kong. His six-year project, time will tell, won awards from the Hong Kong Design Centre.

Today, Wong splits his time between commercial, artistic, and voluntary work, where he also teaches for free in schools. A Buddhist convert, Wong shares his creative expertise with several Buddhist groups in his local community. The artist has held many solo and group exhibitions, including at art spaces such as Goethe Institute in Hong Kong and 10 Chancery Lane Gallery in Madrid. His recent awards include the Hong Kong Arts Development Awards 2011 – Award for Best Artist (Visual Arts) and the Hong Kong Contemporary Art Awards 2012. In 2020, Wong was regaled as the Design for Asia Award’s Outstanding Chinese Designer.