Exclusive Interview: In Los Angeles, Cindy Wang Builds a Gallery to Uphold Chinese American Women’s Artistic Dreams
LAPost / San Gabriel, Los Angeles (Sept. 7, 2025) — As night fell on September 6, the historic Mission District of San Gabriel glowed under the streetlights. The bustling crowd gradually dispersed, and the last to leave was Cindy Wang — founder and director of Scholart Selection. That evening, hundreds of collectors, artists, and friends had gathered to celebrate the reopening of her dream gallery space after a major renovation. 
Stepping into Scholart Selection, located right across from the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse — one of Southern California’s cultural landmarks — feels like entering one of Los Angeles’ most unique art spaces. Unlike austere white-box galleries, this one is housed in a century-old building that blends Spanish-style architecture with elements of everyday aesthetics. The atmosphere is warm and inviting. In addition to professional exhibitions, the gallery regularly hosts lectures, salons, artist talks, and small gatherings. Visitors not only engage with art but also make new connections — it feels more like being in a friend’s home than in a gallery.
What makes this space stand out is its ability to bring art into daily life. Wang and her team specialize in art consultation and interior design, offering practical advice on color, scale, and placement — whether for a living room or a dining room wall. The gallery’s vividly painted walls resemble a model home infused with art, both approachable and practical, teaching visitors how to integrate art into their everyday surroundings.
As the only professional gallery in Los Angeles run by a Chinese woman, Scholart Selection has become a symbol of Asian American presence and solidarity. With persistence and passion, Cindy has built a community hub that integrates exhibitions, sales, and lifestyle aesthetics. She has brought together artists and collectors from diverse backgrounds, making art a bridge across cultures and communities. At the same time, she has been especially dedicated to supporting young, international student, and female artists, curating and promoting their work to connect them with the mainstream art world — amplifying Chinese voices on the global stage.
Beyond exhibitions, Scholart Selection has also grown into an educational hub for the Chinese community, helping to elevate artistic appreciation and cultural literacy. The gallery welcomes not only art professionals but also families, young people, and students. Through guided tours, lectures, and interactive workshops, visitors learn how to appreciate and collect art in an accessible way. Wang hopes these efforts will guide more Chinese audiences from simply “watching the spectacle” to truly “understanding the art,” and ultimately weaving art into their lives and cultural identity.
Currently on view is A LIGHT TO KEEP, a group exhibition celebrating the newly renovated gallery space. Curated by New York–based curator Tia Xu, the show features nearly 50 works spanning painting, installation, and ceramics by 11 U.S.-based artists. Running from August 16 through October 18, 2025, the exhibition includes works by Lowell Boyers, Corinne Chaix, Ashoke Chhabra, Cindy Craig, Vita Eruhimovitz, Lori Markman, Katie Middleton, Nicholas Naughton, Clovis Schlumberger, Alex Selkowitz, and Tyler Waxman. The exhibition not only showcases diverse artistic voices but also reflects Scholart Selection’s growing international curatorial vision.
Wang’s background bridges media and art. A graduate of the Central Academy of Arts and Design (now Tsinghua University’s Academy of Arts & Design), she previously worked in television and advertising at Beijing Radio & TV. In 2013, she launched the art-collecting program Art Sea Collectors, which aired in New York and Los Angeles. In 2022, she created the short video channel Cindy’s Art Space, which quickly gained hundreds of thousands of followers, making her one of the most influential and respected Chinese art bloggers in North America.
“To outsiders, a gallery owner might seem to lead a glamorous life. But behind the scenes, it’s really about being an overseas entrepreneur, a middle-aged woman, an ethnic minority, all while facing an economic downturn and an art-world winter,” she admitted. Over the past three years, she has organized more than 20 exhibitions, dozens of salons, and produced nearly 300 short videos. “So many visitors tell me: ‘Cindy, you must keep going. This really makes us Chinese proud.’ Those words gave me clarity. I never treated running a gallery simply as a business — it’s a lifelong commitment.”
Here, art is no longer distant or elitist, but warm and approachable. The gallery shows paintings, sculptures, light installations, and ceramics — works that reflect everyday life and cater to audiences from beginners to seasoned collectors. Even young families with modest budgets can take home an original piece. Wang avoids jargon, preferring to talk about art like a neighborly friend. “Buying art isn’t about showing off — it’s about letting it become part of your life,” she said with a smile.
At a time when many prominent galleries in Los Angeles and New York have closed under economic pressure, Wang chose to expand and renovate this summer. “Art once healed me. Now I want it to bring joy to more people. If I can achieve that, then my life has been worth it,” she said softly.
In this space infused with courage and warmth, art has been redefined: no longer an untouchable luxury, but an everyday presence. In just three years, Cindy Wang has proven that overseas, Chinese women too can build — with dreams and conviction — a piece of the art world that belongs to them.
(By Staff Writer: Richard Ren / LAPost)
