'Summer Burners' at Artists & Makers Studios: Victor Ving

Victor Ving, a Chinese-American artist born and raised in New York City, will be presenting his work in a show titled Summer Burners at Artists and Makers Studios in Rockville, Maryland alongside 36 other graffiti writers and street artists. The show runs from June 3 to June 23, 2016. Since May 2015, Victor, who is inspired by 1940s postcards and mid-century modern design, has been traveling across the U.S. in an RV as part of the Greetings Tour project, painting onsite large-scale postcard murals of major cities across the country.

1. How would you describe your work?

I think that the medium of spray paint (especially water-based spray paint) is a technology of my generation that really defines the aesthetic of modern "graffiti/street art." I always try to incorporate spray paint into my canvas pieces even though it's a medium/tool that's not formally taught in art schools. I feel that it's an important aspect of my artwork. For this particular piece in the show, I wanted to tie in the Greetings Tour project (I have been traveling the country for a year in a RV painting large letter murals - http://greetingstour.com)

2. What is the function of street art?

These days, people seem to call any kind of exterior mural or something done with spray paint "street art." I don't always agree with this. I think that true street art is done without permission and without the intent of making a profit at the end of the day. Also, staying completely anonymous is an important aspect for me. That said, I wouldn't even consider what I do "street art" but more "public art." I consider artists like REVS and READ MORE BOOKS as the true street artists of our generation.

3. How do you think your work will translate to a gallery setting?

I came from a background of graffiti, which really taught me to work quickly and on a large scale. To this day, it's still very hard for me to try to constrict my artwork to a small scale. I never went to art school and taught myself through graffiti. Personally, I got tired of just writing my name over and over again, so I decided to do something more positive with my time, which is how I came up with the Greetings Tour (http://greetingstour.com) project. As of now, I'm not actively looking to enter the world of fine art in a gallery setting, but if it happens as a natural progression, I'm open to it in the future.

Artists & Makers Studios is presenting two shows for the month of June 2016:
"Summer Burners" (Graffiti) and "Best of the Art Leagues" (Work by the Art League of Germantown)
Opening Reception (for both) 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM, Friday, June 3, 2016
Artists & Makers Studios is located at 11810 Parklawn Dr. Suite 210 Rockville, MD 20852