“Through the amalgamation of the human form with the non-human, I create surreal imagery that investigates how elements of the ecological world can serve as metaphors for our own natures. By recontextualizing familiar subjects and intertwining them with flora and fauna, I explore the dynamics of control—both the control humans attempt to exert over nature and the constraints imposed upon human identity itself. These unexpected combinations invite viewers to reassess the categories and expectations they have inherited.

Drawing on visual languages historically used to marginalize and restrict; I repurpose these techniques to reveal their arbitrariness and to empower the communities they once sought to contain. The organic world destabilizes binary thinking, making visible the absurdity of societal roles and hierarchies. In asking what happens to our autonomy when we deny our inherent connection to nature, my work opens space for conversations around power, control, and self-determination. My goal is to prompt discussion for my communities to define their own autonomy and envision forms of empowerment beyond imposed boundaries.”

Keely Wu is a painter and printmaker based in Upstate New York that focuses on oil painting and multimedia techniques. They are currently a professor in Printmaking at the Rochester Institute of Technology.