Introducing ACCA JOURNAL Digital Art Cover 2025

BY ACCA 

Matthew Wang is a London - and Los Angeles-based interdisciplinary artist. Before he relocated to the UK, he spent many years in California working as both a studio artist and an investor. His creative language spans painting, sculpture, installation, and animation, through which he explores the intersections of emotion, humanity, and history. In 2025, he earned his Master’s degree from the Royal College of Art in London, one of the world’s most influential art institutions.

At the core of his practice is an exploration of the evolving relationship between the digital and the physical. He challenges traditional hierarchies in both realms by integrating technological and unconventional tools into the process, allowing for a more instinctive and emotionally driven form of expression within a mixed-media context. In the time we live in, where digital tools are just as important to creation as the brush or the hand, he sees every instrument, whether a hammer or artificial intelligence, as equal. For him, as long as one’s mind remains open and unrestrained, anything can become art, and powerful work can emerge from any medium, big or small, simple or complex. He positions himself as both an emerging creative builder and a disruptor, redefining the principles that shape the contemporary art landscape today.

By merging the flexibility of digital media with the physical presence of traditional materials, his work often creates a dialogue between past and present, the real and the virtual, the physical and the spiritual, reaching into realms that science and physics cannot fully access. It is at once deeply personal and socially responsive, reflecting inner emotion while engaging with the complexities of contemporary life.

This work is a contemporary reimagining of Klimt’s The Kiss, recontextualized within a speculative, fantastical framework. Initially created digitally, it was then meticulously hand-painted in multiple coats onto a plywood panel cut into the shape of a chocolate bar—serving as a reflection of today’s mass-produced, fast-paced, and fleeting capitalist lifestyle. A combination of standard and fluorescent acrylic pigments was applied to mimic the flat, brightly saturated aesthetics of the digital age, while still allowing the subtle, tactile quality of the wooden texture to remain visible.

Drawing on symbolism and reimagined motifs, I’ve made a cross-century move, bridging the worlds of Art Nouveau and digital culture. The rectangular shapes on the left suggest pixels or glitches, while the halos on the right are inspired by electrons, signifying a connection that transcends the material realm. Gold hands in the background, made with gold leaf, embrace the two avatar-like abstracted figures, representing a spiritual destiny tied to the love of the universe. This creates a dreamlike, virtual space that explores the notion of non-physical intimacy. In an era defined by hyper-connectivity and curated digital presence, the work reflects on how romance and affection are increasingly mediated through screens.

In Klimt’s original work, the female figure turns away from the kisser. In this reinterpretation, she is depicted holding the man’s face, taking on an active role. This shift in composition challenges traditional gender dynamics, addressing themes of agency and equality, while reflecting on how intimacy is negotiated in a world shaped by technology, hyper-accessibility, and consumerism.

"The Kiss Choco" is more than just a reinterpretation of a historical masterpiece; it’s a deeply personal expression of how I navigate and challenge the intersections of tradition and modernity.

Beneath its decorative, derivative appearance lies a transcendent work, recharged with profound and far-reaching meaning. It explores the tensions between emotion and technology, physical presence and digital intimacy. This piece marks a pivotal moment in my practice, where concept, material, and personal narrative converge.

This piece was born out of my experience living between cultures, carrying forward the spirit of Klimt but also completely belonging to the modern world. What makes this work special to me is its ability to hold multiple contradictions at once: it’s nostalgic yet futuristic, handmade yet digitally inspired, intimate yet public. The act of hand-painting this digitally conceived piece with multiple meanings, merging traditional craftsmanship with fluorescent, screen-like colors, is a meditative resistance to the speed of today’s world.

I believe "The Kiss Choco" deserves recognition from HAP 2025 not only for its aesthetic and conceptual ambition but also for its relevance to the emotional and cultural challenges we face today. It’s a work that asks: Can love still be profound when experienced online? Can art reconnect us to something spiritual in a world flooded by data and distraction? In a time of disconnection, this piece aims to remind viewers of the tenderness, complexity, and mystery that still exist within human relationships, even when mediated by technology.