Ashley Wu

I am a current undergraduate student at the University of California, San Diego pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Visual Arts: Media with a minor in Sociology. Specializing in digital photography, I focus mainly on portraiture, using dramatic lighting to capture imperfection and analog warmth. Hopscotching from maximalism to minimalism, I display the minute times and the noise in our everyday lives; capturing times that are so hectic that just a second off, the image portrayed will be different.

Through my ten years of working in photography and film, I incorporate introspectiveness, quietness, and the evocation of certain moods in my creative practice. I mainly focus on the intersectionality of femininity and my Asian-American experience, while keeping a close eye on texture, phrasing, and contrast. Whether through the softness of film grain, the abruptness of cuts, or the slow unfolding of an image, my focus remains on emotional texture—on how visual elements can speak where words fall short. Each piece is a study in contrast: stillness and chaos, clarity and ambiguity, light and shadow. Together, they form a body of work that reflects the beauty and messiness of growing up, of existing between cultures, and of finding meaning in impermanence.​​​