Los Angeles-based painter Mamie Young creates intimate, surreal compositions that probe emotional weight and identity through the unlikely language of inflatable forms. Drawing on the strange mix of familiarity and artificiality found in these objects, her work explores the quiet absurdities of being and the delicate space between humor and vulnerability. By pairing the everyday with the uncanny, Young uses these inflated structures as symbols of material culture, mirroring the fragile emotional architectures we build around ourselves.

Born in Guangzhou, China, Young’s distinct visual perspective is informed by her training in Architecture and Film Production at the University of Southern California. Before shifting focus to her fine art practice, she spent her early career working as a graphic artist for major studios including Disney, HBO, and Netflix—experiences that continue to influence her structural approach to the canvas.

Her work remains a thoughtful examination of how we carry and conceal our inner narratives. As Young notes:

"Inflatables feel like symbols of our time. They hold so much potential for expression and stand in for the ways we try to construct, protect, or even poke fun at the fragile structures that make up who we are."