Hayley Chiu

What feels liberating to you?

“When a painting idea finally comes together after wrestling with it for a long time. It’s like I can finally release my breath, my body feels lighter, there’s a spring in my step. Like my nostrils finally cleared up after being clogged for days.”

What is a difficult conversation to have with yourself?

“My relationship with my art is complex, almost feeling parasitic sometimes. I see my art as an extension of myself, which can sometimes hurt me, that my painting determines my self worth. Perhaps I love painting out of desperation. I’m trying to change that andlove it for what it brings me, to be an artist who creates purely, for nobody but me. That if everyone else on Earth disappeared one day, I’d still be painting.”