My work involves an ongoing investigation of the relationship between external and internal realities. I am fascinated by how vulnerable we are to external influences and the great emptiness and loneliness we encounter when we try to distance ourselves from them. Jacques Lacan’s concept of decentered subjectivity reveals that human beings are just reflections of external influences, imitating the representations we perceive in society. Influenced by this concept, I am interested in the ambiguity of free will and the truth of existence. The action of painting affirms the existence of my internal reality while the paintings exhibit my question, observation, and self-reflection in the process of mediating and reconciling the conflict among my true aspirations and societal forces from the external world. My painting connects my internal existence with the external world. I am inspired by my own experiences and emotions. I establish arbitrary spaces that are based on physical realities and the intangible presence of my consciousness. Through the paintings, I invite the audience to my own experience, emotion and feelings that I could not express with language. I intend to create paintings that allow my audience to feel included in the scene and connected with the painter personally. I hope by doing this, I can start a conversation about humanity, and let my viewer know that they are not alone in the constant struggles of life and the endless journey of seeking the meaning and truth of individual existence.

Amelie Wang was born in China and moved to the US when she was sixteen years old. She spent three years in the southern California desert where she finished high school. In 2017, she moved to Seattle and attended University of Washington. In UW, Amelie majors in Painting and Drawing and Gender Women Sexuality Study, and has a minor in Art History. Amelie is interested in transmitting her abstract feelings in specific time and space to her audience through painting. She sees painting as a language that has the ability to express her feelings that could not be described through words. Although she mainly focuses on painting and drawing, she still wants to keep exploring and experimenting with other mediums and materials. Moving forward, Amelie will continue to investigate human existence and presence through painting and other forms of art.