Email: ymaisieluo@gmail.com

Education

2024 Master of Fine Arts, Mason Gross School of Art, Rutgers University, NJ, USA

2022 Master of Theological Studies in Religion and Ethics, Harvard Divinity School, MA, USA

2019 BA in Honors Studio Art and Religion, Swarthmore College, PA, USA

Full CV upon request



Artist statement

My paintings, sculptures, performances, and painted animations address pressing concerns about climate change and animal welfare. Exploring the significance of aesthetics in bringing people’s close attention to these issues, I adopt designs and symbols from pictographs in public spaces, Chinese paper-cutting traditions, and Tibetan Buddhist art. 

Using these visual elements, I infuse visions of animal liberation into my work that examines the ethics of animal captivity. Symbols of protection from Tibetan Buddhist art, such as conch and parasol, are often dedicated to the depicted captive animals. I also take inspiration from traditional Chinese paper-cuts about utopian visions of human-animal relationships. These images materialize local people’s beliefs, values, and hopes for a prosperous multispecies future. With the current state of climate change and animal welfare in mind, I investigate how images alluding to animal liberation can prompt people to soberly examine the present conditions of animals and nature, to imagine non-exploitative ways of coexisting with them, and to stay with complex ethical questions, such as where these animals would go after liberation.

My art practice is influenced by Buddhist teachings about striving for the welfare of all living beings. Along with painting, I experiment with painted animation and public performance art, such as my painting walkout series, to invite a wider range of people to discuss climate change and animal welfare. My ultimate hope is that these visions and discussions will sow the seeds of multispecies flourishing.




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