Holly Wong

Your work explores themes of healing and resilience. Can you tell us about a personal experience that shaped this focus?

When I was growing up, I witnessed many acts of violence, and my environment was chaotic and impoverished.  Traumatic memory has been a shaping factor in my life, and I have struggled for years to make sense of what happened to me and the people that I loved. With the death of my mother and both of my brothers to substance use related disorders, it has caused me to value life deeply.  My artwork is my way to repair and reclaim my history.  While I can’t change the past, art making helps me to live more fully in the presence of today.

Many of your fiber installations incorporate light and transparency. What draws you to these materials, and how do they relate to the idea of the “permeable separation between the living and the dead”?

The use of LED strip lighting and transparent fabric comes from my experiences with my husband’s Chinese culture and the practice of honoring and remembering those who have passed on. There are beautiful burial customs that involve layering fabrics on the deceased, a different color of fabric from each family member.  My transparent fabrics are my layers over my mother’s memory.  The LED light is reminiscent to me of lighting candles or incense and the notion that when someone dies, they are not gone.  They are on another plane and so the use of transparent fabrics is important in the work.  It also comes from my experience of Buddhism and the refusal of absolutes.

Holly Wong | Body Of Light | 2023

You mentioned using medical and crime scene imagery as a basis for your collages. How do you approach working with such emotionally charged sources?

It is frankly difficult to look at these images, but I am drawn to them because I sometimes had to clean up the residue of violence as a child.  I still have flashbacks about the blood at times, especially when I am working with fluid paint.  Looking at crime scene photos and converting the images into layered organic complexity in my paintings then becomes cathartic for me.  It helps me to release my grief in some way, by facing it in proxy through reviewing and painting or drawing these images.

Your artworks feel both fragile and powerful. How do you balance delicacy and strength in your compositions?

I feel that our strength in part comes from our willingness to be vulnerable and honest.  I use ephemeral materials that are often layered to make a stronger whole.  I am drawn to fragile materials, crafted together, whether woven, layered or sewn, ultimately being more powerful than their separateness.  It is a delicate balance indeed because at the end of the day, I want the work to stand on its own and be durable, so there is a high level of attentiveness when I make the work.  I pay close attention to how the materials interact and what they do over time.

Holly Wong | Deconstructed Quilt | 2022

Do you see your installations as spiritual spaces or meditative environments? How do you want viewers to feel when they encounter your work?

Yes, my ultimate goal is for my work to feel like a spiritual space or meditative environment.  I want to invite people into the work, to come as they are, and to have an environment of color and flow to sit with their emotions.  Modern life so rarely offers space or respite, and I do hope the work can offer that to my viewers.

You’ve exhibited in over 100 shows and received several prestigious grants. How have these recognitions influenced your artistic direction and confidence?

Earlier in my career, I really lacked self-confidence as happens with many artists.  It was really a problem because it is hard to make your most ambitious work when you don’t believe it will ever matter to anyone.  That said, the more I exhibited, the less precious and fearful I was about each show.  I saw that the work evolved each time and this slowly built my confidence.  The grants were extremely validating but most importantly, it’s an inside job. You have to believe in the work to get through the tough times.

Holly Wong | Elixir | 2025

How does living in San Francisco shape your art practice, both visually and conceptually?

The sheer natural beauty of the San Francisco region figures into my work; especially the aquatic and botanical elements that often appear in my collage paintings.  The quality of the sunlight here and the dry climate also intensifies my color choice.  It’s really inspiring.  San Francisco has also always been known as a place of artistic experimentation.  Not so much a commercial art center per se, but a place where you can make your work and be yourself.  That has meant a lot to me.  If you aren’t afraid to fail, your learning is much deeper.