Interview performed and written by Max Binks-Collier.

Shelby Wams studied biology before transferring into art. Though she was frustrated at the disparity in the quality of the work that she and her classmates were producing, biology did not waste her time. It helped her.

“Growth” depicts a huge clump of tumours growing from a woman’s face. Shelby explained the piece by saying, “Having studied illnesses and genetic mutations in biology, I was drawn to the inherent beauty in the process of degradation and rot.” Her ability to perceive beauty in what many consider hideous is evident in much of her work. In various drawings, people that society views as grotesque stare at the onlooker with a directness that verges on being confrontational. They are not objects of scorn and condescending pity, but rather individuals who scrutinize us.

Just because Shelby has stared at many biology textbook photos doesn’t mean her work is always hyper realistic. Realism is instead a starting-point for a style that defies easy categorization. In certain works, Shelby’s uniqueness manifests itself as stark chiaroscuro, and graphite lines converging with paint. In “Growth,” the smoothness of the turquoise and the smeared gradations of the woman’s skin show that realism is more about creating a lifelike impression of something than a photographically exact copy of it.

Shelby’s departure from strict realism is more pronounced in “Electric Jungle,” where mysterious wildcats slink through neon-coloured undergrowth, and “Sleepwalker,” in which an androgynous woman with a face that plastic surgery has not been kind to stands on a desolate road. For someone who tends towards “realistic portraiture,” Shelby enjoys making us question the ways that the West understands reality. It’s no wonder that she said, “I sort of have a smirk when I’m making my works, like it’s an inside joke with myself.”

See more of Shelby’s work on her tumblr and instagram.