Emma Shi (she/they) is a 17-year-old artist from New Jersey. She works primarily with paint and digital mediums.

I think of my art as a place for mourning change. In the fast-paced lives we occupy, I find myself constantly being thrown forward towards the future, before I am able to truly exist in the present. Thus arises a dilemma of liminality, where we are stuck living in limbo between our half-lived pasts and yet-to-be aspirations.

The visual spaces I create in my pieces focus on the static, spatial relationships between subjects—whether they are figural or abstracted—to create tension in time between past memories and the present. Referencing motifs of childhood, my work mourns my own coming-of-age as I grow into adulthood. Often, you will see kid’s toys and very vibrant colors in my art. For me, it is a way of letting myself experience, again, the childlike joy of simply being a kid and feeling free to create whatever my heart desires.

Contact: emqshi (at) gmail (dot) com

Instagram: @emqshi and @emqink