An Inspired Chat with Feiran Wang of Irvine, Orange County, California

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Feiran Wang. Check out our conversation below.

Hi Feiran, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
It is having a pet chicken and being surrounded by all kinds of cute animals; I spent my earliest childhood living with my grandparents who lived in a suburban area where there were lots of animals of all kinds; grandparents had hens and a rooster and other birds, cats and dogs; I would see neighbor’s cow passing by every day, pigs, ducks, foxes, all kinds of reptiles and amphibians and fish and crabs in a small river. Those were the happiest times of my life. When I turned ten I moved with my parents to a city and after that for many years lost contact with animals. When a few years ago I moved to Irvine, the greenest and the most animal friendly city I’ve ever seen, the connection was reestablished; birds, squirrels and lizards would come to my garden every day and interact with me. Even a duck made a nest in my garden. But the most important of them all was my pet MuCh (short for Mutated Chicken), a house chicken that followed me everywhere I went, be it a store, restaurant or a bank. When I would work she would sit next to me the whole time and keep me company. It seems Much and other animals rekindled in me that childish joy that I’ve lost touch with after I moved from my grandparents’ and which also acts as the main inspiration for my artistic work. Much unfortunately passed away in May and big part of that happiness is now gone. I’ve decided to get a new one soon as daily interaction with cute animals really brings more happiness than anything else.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My art brand Mutated Chicken® was inspired by the most curious thing that happened in my childhood or perhaps in my life period; as I mentioned earlier my grandparents had hens in their backyard; when I was about five one of the chickens was born with a third leg, a consequence of a rare but not unique mutation. This godly creature left on me such an impression that many years later, when I decided to be an artist I chose the motive as a pivotal theme of my entire art opus and the name for my brand. Hence you find the character of Mutated Chicken in every and each of my products. The main branches of my brand are paintings and sculptures, both products of innovative techniques including 3D printing, advanced computer programs and robotics. The brand includes also limited edition art prints, collectable art toys, animation, NFT, fashion products, and virtual reality in physical universe and Mutated Chicken® Metaverse alike.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
I’ve never had an epiphany like experience caused by a single event; my world view is an amalgamation of things that I experienced over the years and came to me in a quasi-periodic pattern. But if I had to pick a single moment that had the biggest impact on me in any possible way I would certainly pick my encounter with the three legged chicken; though at that time I had no rational sense or idea of the consequence this encounter will have on my career, I instinctively felt something fantastic that I’ve never felt before nor since in relation to anything else; as I cannot perfectly describe my emotional sensation at the time I can only attempt at retrospective rationalization and compare this to someone meeting a dragon or a mermaid. The feeling remained, I can recall it almost at will and it immediately takes me back to my careless childhood and so serves as an endless fountain of inspiration for my art.

What fear has held you back the most in your life?
I don’t have any immediate or practical fears; my fears are of deep ontological origin, netted closely with unexplained phenomena of biological and physical nature; the sense of one’s unimportance and helplessness in permanent attachment to a rotating ball revolving at an immense speed through the vastness of void spaces of which we know only that we know nothing about, a twilight where realistic turns to pessimistic and all the efforts through entire human history become forlorn, absurd and most scary of all pointless.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My pet chicken, MuCh. While she was alive, she made me feel very much loved and happy. Now after she passed away earlier this year, much of that feeling is gone and I’m greatly longing for it and for my MuCh.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. When do you feel most at peace?
When I am creating art while my pet chicken is next to me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mutatedchicken.com
• Instagram: @mutated_chicken_
• Other: www.mutatedchicken.shop

  www.tiktok.com/@mutated_chicken_

Image Credits
Urban L.