Local Artist Spotlight: Rya Wu on Honoring Ancestry Through Art

Beginning June 6, Bothell will host Wildest Dreams—a powerful new art exhibit curated by local artist and community builder Rya Wu. Rooted in themes of ancestral gratitude, identity, and belonging, Wildest Dreams invites viewers to explore what it means to live in the legacy of those who came before us.

The exhibit will culminate in a vibrant closing celebration on Saturday, June 28, from 2–6 PM at Bothell City Hall. Visitors can expect an outdoor market, live performances, interactive workshops (all from 2-5 PM), and a thought-provoking artist talk (5-6 PM) designed to deepen the connection between the artwork and the stories behind it.

We recently sat down with Rya to talk about the origins of Wildest Dreams, the importance of collective storytelling, and what it means to return to Bothell—both personally and creatively—for this special show.

[Q] Wildest Dreams is such a powerful title. What inspired this exhibit, and how did the concept take shape for you?

“It kind of begins with a different exhibit called Have You Eaten and that’s an exhibit that I started about 2.5 years ago. I had the opportunity to curate a show during the tail-end of COVID where there was a lot of Asian hate here in Seattle. I just wanted to create an opportunity to have a safe community for folks to gather and share stories.

That show was in January and February 2023. It was two months long, and we had a different event every week, so folks had the opportunity to continue to gather and really build these connections. Essentially, the reception and the feedback from the community were overwhelmingly positive. So, that show has continued on for the past few years. 

A little over a year ago, as I was closing out the last Have You Eaten show, my grandmother passed away in Taiwan. I just remember processing that and feeling so much grief and gratitude at the same time—that I get to do what I do: be an artist and community builder. It’s just such a different life from what she had. That’s when this thought kind of popped up. It really meant something to me in that moment, like ‘Oh, I really am my ancestor's wildest dreams. I get to live this life. I get to live authentically as who I am. I have access to all these resources and do not have to struggle in the way that they have to.’ From there, I really wanted to create a show to honor that—to honor her.

Despite being AANHPI, a lot of people reached out about Have You Eaten and shared that they’re not Asian, but they resonate with it. They resonate with this sense of neither belonging here nor there. 

So, Wildest Dreams is also an open invitation for first through third-generation immigrants to explore this same narrative of ‘What does home mean to you?’ while honoring our ancestors, our roots, where we come from, and the life that we get to have access to today.”

[Q] Can you share any standout pieces or artists featured in Wildest Dreams that are especially meaningful to you?

“There’s one piece that I felt really emotional [about while] reading the artist statement. I think seeing the art at first, I didn’t fully understand, but reading the personal story it was like ‘Oh, wow. This is exactly what we’re looking for.’

There is this piece from Lauren Bayer who is a local artist here in Seattle. It’s a posthumous collaboration with their grandfather. Their grandfather was an artist and this really inspired Lauren. The piece is really simple. It’s two still lives. One is a response to the other. They’re meant to be displayed side by side. To me, there’s just something—I think with Wildest Dreams being an ode to my grandmother and knowing that Lauren’s grandfather passed away— this was her way of honoring him and carrying on the torch. I think now Lauren is doing art full-time and that’s something her grandfather didn’t have access to. It felt really special that they got to be in the same show together. 

There’s one from my friend Yaminee who was in Have You Eaten and she makes work completely out of rice. It’s really texturally beautiful and the images are of women working in rice fields or sifting rice or cooking. There’s just something really beautiful and also really powerful. Technically, it’s very excessive. Our ancestors would argue it’s excessive and wasteful to use rice for art instead of for food. I think that just adds another layer to it.”

[Q] What first drew you to art as a form of storytelling or cultural expression?

“I really only started my art journey during the pandemic as a way to process grief. It was kind of through using [art] as a way of self-soothing and understanding my own internal experience. Also, I received feedback from friends and close family members that the work that I was creating really resonated with them. They understood deeply what I was feeling and it resonated. There’s something about that— it’s like here’s something magical where things get transmuted accurately without words. So, I continued to pursue that and realized that it doesn't have to necessarily be a personal thing—it’s actually more powerful in community. That was 2021. 

Then, in response to Have You Eaten, I actually ended up opening a creative space since the feedback was that people were really sad the show was only two months long and also wished there was a place where community could continue to gather, share these stories, and bear witness to art and creativity. In April 2023, I opened up The Fishbowl, which is a completely volunteer-and-artist-run creative space in Uptown. 

It’s been mind-blowing what an incredible tool art has been to foster healing and a sense of belonging and really bring people together in a deep way.”

[Q] As an artist with roots in the AANHPI community, how has your heritage influenced your creative journey?

“A pretty obvious difference between American culture and East Asian culture is the community collective aspect. I think that’s why I’m very drawn to art in a community format as opposed to pursuing more of a solo show path. In general, every opportunity I have to make it a collective or a group experience, I lean towards that.”

[Q] How do you navigate the balance of creating art that is both deeply personal and widely relatable?

“I find that the more personal and the more specific art is, the deeper it resonates with people. I always encourage my artists to be brave and make art for them. Most likely, that’s going to resonate with the people who also have a similar shared experience.”

[Q] What does it mean to bring Wildest Dreams to Bothell, especially during AANHPI Heritage Month?

“I have a pretty big extended family and, when we were younger, after church every Sunday, we would go visit a different aunt’s house for lunch. Some of my fondest memories are being surrounded by the hustle and bustle of being in a large group setting. One of my aunts lives in Bothell, and I have a lot of fond memories of sleepovers there and getting to be with family. 

There’s a pretty big Asian population in Bothell and so that feels like full-circle to be able to bring it back there.”

[Q] How has the City of Bothell and its arts community supported your work or made space for this kind of storytelling?

“Huge shoutout to the City of Bothell Arts Commission. I think it’s been exciting to have an opportunity to visit more often outside of familial stuff. Everyone has been supportive and working with me to make this exhibit and the events happen.”

[Q] For someone visiting Bothell to see Wildest Dreams, what other local sports—galleries, cafés, parks—would you recommend they explore while they’re in town?

“I will say, in general, the Sammamish River is such a lovely thing to have. I definitely spent a lot of time at The Park at Bothell Landing. You can walk and kayak there. There’s also a ton of really cute bakeries and such. I definitely recommend The Cottage—it’s really yummy and the people there are lovely.”

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