Sheng Wang starred in the acclaimed Netflix special “Sweet and Juicy.” Courtesy photo

When standup comedian Sheng Wang presented his first hilarious Netflix special in 2022, he was introduced by Ali Wong, who praised him as “one of my favorite comedians in the entire world.”

Wang specializes in jokes about daily observations, finding humor and meaning in the mundane like shopping for pants at Costco because “you don’t care anymore,” he explains, “viewing it as a step on a spiritual journey of letting go of the ego.

“It’s all mundane, everyday things that I am paying attention to,” says Wang, who will perform July 19 at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. “I’m always trying to pay attention. I’m always trying to be present, and just see what’s happening. Then collecting little moments, little observations, you notice that could be obviously hilarious, or it could be just something interesting that’s not obviously humorous, but can be shared in a fun way.”

Wang said he loves the sense of creativity that standup provides. “I love creating something that wasn’t here before, that wasn’t here yesterday. I love the process of the craft. I love the idea. It’s so open, it’s pretty free. It’s just you, the simplicity of the simplicity. It’s you, a microphone and an audience. It’s fine if you bomb. That’s how you get better. It’s always fun to do a good show, but having a good set isn’t that meaningful if you don’t try something new. The most rewarding thing is coming up with something new or making it better, and the process of just basically being OK with bombing.”

Born in Taiwan in 1980, Wang moved to Houston, Texas, as a 2-year-old. He later attended the same high school as Beyoncé. In college, he joined an Asian American theater group at the University of California, Berkeley, that encouraged participation in the performing arts. It was then he realized standup comedy was cool.

“I wasn’t like a class clown,” he recalled. “Hanging out with friends I can kind of be funny. But I don’t think people ever thought I was the funny guy. No one ever told me you should be a comedian or anything like that.”

In 2015, after years of working the West Coast standup circuit, he got a job as a staff writer and actor on the ABC sitcom “Fresh Off the Boat,” about a Taiwanese American immigrant family. Headlining at clubs and theaters, he subsequently found national acclaim with his “Sweet and Juicy” Netflix special, which Paste magazine praised as an “utterly sublime hour. He renders even a seemingly dull topic a comedic goldmine.”

Wang first performed on Maui at a comedy festival around 13 years ago.

“I want people to have a good time,” he said about his show, and he hopes folks find it stimulating. “I like playing in this little world of all little mundane things because I like the idea that people can now walk out of this show into their regular lives, see these little things and have a moment. Just a moment there to think where they’re maybe not an autopilot when they’re brushing their teeth. I like the idea that after the show, if people really enjoyed it, they can come across little points in their lives where it’s not just kind of glossed over or moving through without thinking, but where you can consider this moment a little bit. To be present, basically.”

Enjoying providing a collective vehicle for his audience to forget about the world’s troubles, he continued, “I’m glad that comedy can provide some levity and some relief and some moments to let go of the madness and the chaos that’s causing some anxiety in people or just to release the tension a little bit. I want to show people that you could be funny without being mean. There is some part of me that wants to inspire kindness, to remind people that this is a good thing to be nice, to be joyful, to be kind. I want people to be more human and be more compassionate and be more caring and think about others. In general, I would like to reinforce people’s humanity.”

Wang will perform at 7 p.m. July 19 at the MACC’s Castle Theater. Tickets are $39, $49 and $59, plus applicable fees, at MauiArts.org.