Chelsea Liang

My series is about my mental health journey. I wanted to be able to express and share my story, where I could tell it freely without feeling judgment from others. For years, I have created my own characters that have acted as personas for me to be able to project myself into. Many of these characters are non-human, which is how I sometimes perceive myself amidst my ups and downs. I utilize imagery and symbols to depict what kind of pain or struggle I’m in. Although dark thoughts still surface, I am now able to channel those dark thoughts into artwork.

Many of my person-focused artwork is inspired by mangaka Araki Hirohiko who has drawn dynamic poses. For many of my artworks, they are layered. In Death Bloom I experimented with collaging the flowers on the left side, attempting to make the piece more visually captivating and more unique. I also experimented with a stippling dash technique that became very effective in making the boy’s face pop out more and has great detail when examined more closely. In the work Devil's Temptation, I made a bas-relief by elevating separate pieces, creating more depth and a more 3D effect on the artwork.