Oil on canvas, 48×36’’, 2018
The painting portrays the art faculty in a final critique, staring, judging, and commenting on the work of a grad student. The bright color, prominent brush strokes, and distorted space are the rendering of the overstimulation experienced by the anxious student. The fantastical elements in the painting adds a sense of dark humor that contrasts the serious facial expressions on the characters. The artist paints from her personal experience and creates her version of a contemporary mythical satire. The title “The Avengers” is the sarcastic metaphor of the superhero movie in which the main protagonists always look straight at the audience, and only one women appears in the poster with the rest of the male crew. It also expresses the artist’s concern on whether she will be lucky enough to be the only women in a team as she pursuits her artistic career in the future.