Liang Wang

Neon Superstitions is a series of paintings that explore the persistence of belief, ritual, and symbolism in contemporary urban life. Drawing from scenes in Vancouver’s Chinatown, the works feature neon signage, beckoning cats, Guan Gong statues, and shopfront displays — symbols that blur the lines between commerce, faith, and folklore. These icons, often found in everyday spaces, become visual cues for protection, fortune, and justice, especially within diasporic communities.

This body of work reflects a fascination with the tension between the sacred and the secular — between what is seen and what is felt. In one painting, a Guan Gong figure sits beneath a CCTV camera in a retail shop, echoing the Chinese idiom「舉頭三尺有 神明 (Three feet above, the gods are watching). Elsewhere, cracked windows and glowing mascots appear as quiet signals—offering not answers, but reminders of the unseen.