About

Lily Marylander is a Bay Area-based artist whose work explores the intersections of identity, memory, and taboo through mixed media arts.

Born in Wuhan, China, and adopted at 13 months old by her Chinese mother from Hong Kong and her Jewish father from Los Angeles, Lily grew up in Oakland, California, surrounded by the diverse cultural fabric of the East Bay. Her personal history informs her artistic practice, leading her to question the complexities of heritage, belonging, and self-definition.

Currently a BFA candidate at California College of the Arts, Lily is pursuing a double major in Sculpture and Jewelry Metal Arts, along with a minor in Ecological Practices. She is drawn to materiality and process, using metal, plaster, found objects, and more to create work that challenges conventions and invites conversation. With a keen eye for technical craftsmanship, she blends traditional and experimental techniques to push the boundaries between wearable art and sculptural form. Her work often grapples with themes of mixed identity, queerness, and cultural dissonance, embracing the discomfort and nuance that come with these explorations.

Beyond the studio, Lily finds inspiration in movement, whether it's the rhythmic energy of dance floors, the meditative pace of hiking trails, or the freedom of road trips through shifting landscapes. She currently resides in San Francisco’s Mission District, where she shares a home with three housemates, a cat, and the dynamic Bay Area arts community.

Through her practice, Lily seeks to refine her craft and create objects and installations that provoke thought, unsettle expectations, and offer new ways of seeing.