“Tales and Stories” by Karla Wong opens Wednesday, October 6, 2021, and continues through November 6, 2021. Everyone is invited to visit the artist reception Saturday, October 9, 2021, from 1 to 4 PM. Face masks are required to attend this reception.

The ACA is thrilled to feature the dreamlike paintings of Karla Wong. Wong is a rising art star from Addison, IL of international renown. Recently, Karla Wong was awarded Best in Show at the Alliance of Fine Art’s 2021 “Best of the Best Show” for one of her colorful magical realist paintings that incorporate themes of Mexican folklore and, more recently, pop culture genres like steampunk. The mingling of Mexican and American narrative imagery makes her paintings engaging and distinctly hers.

Wong explains, “In each of my works, I try to express the love that I have for culture that is ingrained in me. I chose to reach out beyond the typical and enter the world of magical surrealism, creating my own characters ...I gave them their own life, playing with the colors without sparing anything.”

In the region, she has been in group shows and had solo exhibitions throughout the Chicago metro area, including the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago, Woman Made Gallery, and she is an award-winning member of the Elmhurst Artists’ Guild.

In addition to being a local hero, Karla Wong’s artistic excellence is recognized internationally. In October/November 2019, Wong organized \"Guelaguetza de Colores\" at the Addison Center for the Arts where she curated a group show of local and Mexican artists. She regularly exhibits in Mexico and has collaborated with Middle and South American consulates and cultural ambassadors.

“I have exhibited my work in the state of Oaxaca, in Puebla, and in the DF., as well as in museums, houses of culture, cultural centers, government dependencies, and municipal palaces. Beautiful places have served as a framework to my art.” -Karla Wong

Wong was born in the city of Mnatitlan in 1974, but her parents were both from Oaxaca and she grew up there. Her heart belongs to Oaxaca.

Professionally, Karla Wong began her career working for the Attorney General of Justice of the State of Oaxaca as a professional forensic and witness sketch artist. She continues working in this field today.

Wong says, “I consider myself a self-taught painter. That raw ability was the one that helped me enter the justice field, and I try to improve in each of my works. I first used pencil then I moved to oil.”