Photomanipulation nominee

Rooted in the Chinese philosophical concept of Qi Yun (Spirit Resonance), this series explores the transition from physical matter into pure energy. While observing the slow disappearance of berries on a winter tree, I became fascinated by the sensation of time gently melting rather than passing.

Using the digital liquify tool as a calligraphic brush, I loosen the botanical form to reveal its Li—the underlying pattern that holds it together. The images dwell in a vibrant, vibrating state at the edge of dissolution, where matter begins to lose its solidity and perception becomes fluid. Here, reality is no longer fixed but unfolds quietly as a poem of light.

Julie Wang is a fine art photographer based in Seattle. Born in China and having lived across Europe and the United States, her work is shaped by a cross-cultural perspective and a long-standing engagement with Eastern philosophy, literature, and the natural world. Trained in medicine, she later turned to photography as a way to explore perception, memory, and the quiet emotional resonance of everyday encounters with nature.

Wang’s photographic practice is deeply process-driven and contemplative. Through flowers, seeds, branches, water, and shifting light, she creates images that dissolve the boundary between representation and abstraction, often reflecting on impermanence, time, and transformation. Influenced by concepts such as Qi Yun (Spirit Resonance) and classical ink-painting aesthetics, her work treats photography as a form of visual poetry rather than documentation.

Her work has been exhibited internationally and recognized by numerous photography platforms and juried competitions. She received First Place in AAP Magazine #50 (Shapes) and has been featured in All About Photo, Artdoc Gallery, Lenscratch, DOCU Magazine (Finland), and other international publications. Wang’s work continues to evolve through long-term series that explore the quiet dialogue between seeing, feeling, and becoming.