“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 imagery and symbols 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 surreal figurative painter and printmaker based in upstate New York whose work is informed by their multifaceted identity. As a queer and white-passing mixed-race artist living with two autoimmune diseases, they create work that reflects an ongoing negotiation of control—over both their body and the ways it is perceived and categorized by society.

They have participated in an artist residency at the Flower City Arts Center, contributing to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community program Queering Space. Keely holds an MFA from the Rochester Institute of Technology, where they now teach undergraduate and graduate courses in printmaking. Their work is held in collections both nationally and internationally, including in Thailand and New Zealand. Their practice continues to evolve through an ongoing exploration of hybridity, embodiment, and juxtaposition.