I’m Ashley Zhu, a Melbourne-based artist with a background in animation and design. I have been drawing and making art since I was young, and over time, creating has become a natural way for me to respond to the things that catch my attention.
My work is largely led by instinct. Inspiration can come from anywhere: a dream, an experience, a person, a photograph, a scene, or sometimes simply a colour. I am particularly drawn to the body, memory, relationships and the subtle psychological moments that sit within everyday experience. I don’t necessarily begin with a fixed meaning. Often, there is simply a moment when I see or imagine something and know that it deserves to become a painting.
My paintings move between abstraction and representation. I like having the freedom to keep what feels important from an original image or idea, while allowing the rest to shift through colour, form and the process of painting itself.
I hope that same sense of instinct exists between my work and the people who encounter it. Rather than prescribing what someone should see or feel, I like the possibility that a person can be drawn to a work before needing to explain why.
As my practice develops, I want to keep exploring rather than settle into a single subject, style or medium. For me, making art is an ongoing process of noticing, responding and discovering what deserves to become an artwork next.