Alanya van de Wiel is a Lake Macquarie-based artist whose practice explores ancestry, spirituality, folklore and the enduring relationship between people and the natural world. Drawing on her Polish and Dutch heritage, she creates works that weave together symbolism, memory and imagination, inviting viewers into spaces of wonder, reflection and cultural connection.

Influenced by the rich visual language of Polish folk traditions, particularly embroidery, paper-cutting and decorative mural painting, her work incorporates recurring motifs of plants, animals and ritual forms. These ancestral influences sit alongside inspiration from pioneering artists such as Georgia O'Keeffe and Hilma af Klint, whose explorations of nature, symbolism and the unseen continue to resonate within her practice.

Working primarily in acrylic on timber panels or canvas, murals and architectural surfaces, Alanya brings together fine art, illustration and public art approaches. With qualifications in Visual Art, Animation, Counselling and Art Therapy, her practice is informed by a longstanding interest in creativity as a vehicle for meaning-making, connection and personal transformation.

Alanya has exhibited widely throughout Australia and has been recognised as a finalist in numerous art prizes. Alongside her studio practice, she is the founder of the New Artists' Collective, a community of more than 200 artists across Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and the Hunter Region.