Evelyn Taocheng Wang (born 1981 in Chengdu, China; lives and works in Rotterdam, Netherlands) has been awarded the 31st Wolfgang Hahn Prize by the Gesellschaft für Moderne Kunst am Museum Ludwig.
Wang’s work examines cultural identities and social relationships. Her installation for the Museum Ludwig, titled Friendship, references a painting by Agnes Martin (1912–2004). She reproduces Martin’s geometric-minimalist backgrounds by hand, then adds elements such as painted cake slices, characters from the German children’s program Die Sendung mit der Maus, invented Chinese-style stamps, and handwritten texts. These components create fictional dialogues with viewers, using cake as a symbol of celebration and togetherness while addressing themes of belonging, cultural hybridity, and personal memory. The presentation includes a sculptural installation with two round gates to engage visitors multisensorially, along with a video work.
Guest juror Susanne Titz, Director of Museum Abteiberg in Mönchengladbach, describes Wang’s drawings—executed in traditional Chinese calligraphy and painting techniques—as commentaries on Western culture that function as intimate, unconventional poetry incorporating the artist’s identity.
Yilmaz Dziewior, Director of the Museum Ludwig and jury member, notes that Wang engages sensitively with her cultural position and the art histories of Europe, America, and China, and that her work will integrate well into the museum’s collection.
Mayen Beckmann, Chair of the Gesellschaft für Moderne Kunst, states that acquiring Wang’s work aligns with the collecting interests of Peter and Irene Ludwig, who supported ancient Chinese art and donated contemporary works to the Chinese National Museum in Beijing in 1996. She adds that Wang’s oeuvre merits greater recognition in Germany.
Evelyn Taocheng Wang: Friendship. Award ceremony, November 7, 2025, Museum Ludwig Cologne (Germany).
About Evelyn Taocheng Wang
Wang gained broader international visibility through a major presentation in the Central Pavilion of the 2024 Venice Biennale. She studied traditional Chinese art, classical Chinese literature, graphic design, and visual communication in Nanjing, followed by a Master of Fine Arts at the Städelschule in Frankfurt. Her solo exhibitions include venues such as Museum Dordrecht, Rockbund Art Museum in Shanghai, Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen in Düsseldorf, and Museum Abteiberg in Mönchengladbach. She has received the ABN AMRO Art Award in Amsterdam and the Dorothea von Stetten Art Prize.
About the Wolfgang Hahn Prize
The prize is awarded annually by the Gesellschaft für Moderne Kunst am Museum Ludwig, marking its 31st edition in 2025. It recognizes contemporary artists with an established international reputation but limited visibility in Germany. Up to €100,000 in prize money, funded by membership contributions, is used to acquire works for the Museum Ludwig collection. The award includes an exhibition of the acquired works and a publication. The prize commemorates Wolfgang Hahn (1924–1987), a Cologne-based collector and painting conservator who supported European and American avant-garde art. He was a founding member of the Gesellschaft and led restoration workshops at the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum and Museum Ludwig.
