Catherine Wang

Region: MFA Annual

 Coming from a Chinese immigrant family, I am interested in the narratives we attach to places and what makes a place feel like home. I see my practice as a way to build a sense of belonging that is not rooted in settler colonial poss-essiveness. My work centers around Southern California, where I grew up. The saturated, emotionally charged paintings combine personal connections to place with more recognizable characterizations of the region. My paintings also speak to how built and wild spaces are inextricably entangled, particularly in Southern California. Plants and insects spill into rooms, while landscapes hold traces of text and construction. These entanglements carry over into the brushwork, where loose strokes share space with delicate details. Through my work, I advocate for more nuanced and deeply felt relationships with the places we inhabit, especially in these times of ecological crisis.