Xueyan Wang is a 2D and stop motion animator based in Brooklyn, NY. They work with analogue materials, primarily dry media (charcoal, pen, conte) and clay. They received their MFA degree in animation from Pratt Institute in 2020 with partial scholarship. Blending their fine art background in drawing into animated filmmaking, Xueyan creates music-driven impressionistic films with an emphasis on portraying personal emotions.
Artist Statement
I draw. I draw the changing landscape of my personal psyche. I am attached with my own self, obsessed of my emotions, feelings, experiences. I focus on watching my progress in life, where I came from, where I am, and where I am going. I am easily overwhelmed; making work is a good place to process my many sensations at my own pace. For me, making works is similar to art therapy, my drawings reach the subconscious symbolisms that embody my emotional experiences. The action of drawing accesses my formless feelings, fears and longings, through drawing I observe what I have been and what I am becoming.
I also make animated films inspired by my drawings. There’s something unique about rhythm, temporality, and music, the combination of which is capable of immediately accessing my deepest source of emotions buried unearthed. This is why my films are almost always inspired by and also scored to a piece of predetermined music. Animated filmmaking is a heuristic process for me, that leads me to unresolved personal experiences that is crying to be given a form. By being in close contact with my own self, I feel safe and content.
Experimental Film & Music Video Festival 