Lingling Zhao

Detached World

"I am a contemporary painter interested in the connections between modern life, historic and spiritual traditions. I am also committed to making work that evokes a strong emotional reaction in my viewer."

Contemporary painter Lingling Zhao’s practice is at the intersection of modern painting, mysticism, and traditional Chinese iconography and philosophy luminously expressed in a series of unique imaginary worlds. As such, Lingling Zhao’s vibrantly colored paintings offer stirring depictions of otherworldly beauty, spiritual beauty and translucent treatment of light and form, intended in part to act as a vehicle for enlightenment and self-discovery.


Tell us about yourself and your background.
I am a contemporary painter interested in the connections between modern life, historic and spiritual traditions. I am also committed to making work that evokes a strong emotional reaction in my viewer. I have always been interested in the visual world. I grew up in a small village near Chengdu, China and my father was an architect. He had a vast collection of art and artifacts that I found deeply inspiring and I began making art when I was five years old. I went on to earn my BA from the Northwest Textile University, Xian, China and also studied fine art at the Southwest State University, Minnesota. Today, I live and work in Las Vegas with my husband and my son.

​Tell us about your work and style, why is it unique?
First and foremost, I am a painter whose formal process or technique is informed by a spiritual outlook. I use styles and images that seem to be in contrast to one another and intend to evoke emotion in my audience. My work is very unique in the sense that it expresses a synthesis between abstract content (such as spirituality, feelings, emotions and imagination) and some very technical and intentional processes. I blend motifs from realism, academic painting and surrealism with those symbolic vocabularies of ancient and historic traditions from all over the world. As well, my work functions as a commentary on contemporary life and the shared universal spiritual experience.
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"My spiritually inspired work functions to gently open my audience’s hearts while at the same time allowing them to understand my message in their own way."

Butterfly Life

Prayer

Tell us about your process and what you feel when you are creating.
My process starts in the assemblage of elements that exist in my subconscious, e.g. spiritual or mystical motifs that are forever in my mind. Much of these images are triggered by a near death experience from my childhood. Namely, my work begins with my feelings and imagination. For instance, my painting Banyan Tree explores the origins of humankind and our shared history and inter-connectedness, and yet also mirrors my own experience and memories. My spiritually inspired work functions to gently open my audience’s hearts while at the same time allowing them to understand my message in their own way. So while I use a personal iconography, I hope the work is open ended enough to allow this perceptual space.

What are your sources of inspiration?
The main source of my inspiration comes from the spiritual movement of our collective consciousness. As Oliver Wendell Homes Jr. said: “A mind that is stretched by new experiences can never go back to its old dimensions.” I am inspired by the growing movement to search for a path to balance in ourselves, through listening, using our hearts and senses. Compassion and love exist for me as vibrations within and express the evolution of the soul.

The Mandala Lady in Meditation

Lingling Zhao @ Work

"I am an emotional person and my work reflects that. My paintings are often inspired by real life events."

Why are you attracted to your preferred mediums?
I prefer oil paint for the unique vibrant colors, and the slow dry and ease of use and control. As well, I like oil paint’s transparency within deeper layers. The oil in the pigments reflects light and all angles beautifully. Pragmatically, oil paintings last much longer compared to other paint materials.
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Tell us about some of your achievements and notable projects.
My work has been exhibited at a wide variety of museums, galleries and cultural centers such as the Japanese American Museum, Los Angeles. Desert Oasis, Las Vegas. The Sahara Library Gallery, Las Vegas. The University of Costa Rica, and Gallery 416, Minneapolis and St. Paul. As well, I love to complete commissioned projects and I am proud to say my work is held in private collections and on view at corporate collections. Other projects include my cover illustration for the book Presentation Techniques of Patterns Design by Shao Hua Lian, Hunan Art Publisher, 2005. Other special honors include the installation of paintings at the Spring Hill Suites Convention Center, Las Vegas, 2018, and at The US-China Cultural Association, Las Vegas, 2017. Last year, my work was published in a special addition of a magazine featuring one hundred Chinese artists living outside of China, published on 70th anniversary of the People Republic of China.

Life Circle 1 - Seeds

Life Circle 2 - Fall In Love

"It is said that art is a mirror to society and the world is in pain. I believe artists have a significant role to play. Today more than ever the world needs balance and harmony to overcome current challenges."

Life Circle 3 - Together

Life Circle 4 - Family

"It is said that art is a mirror to society and the world is in pain. I believe artists have a significant role to play. Today more than ever the world needs balance and harmony to overcome current challenges."

Life Circle 5 - Departed

Life Circle 6 - Reunion

​Tell us about some of the themes and concepts that you have explored. 
The main theme of my work has been the intersection between the natural world and the spiritual realm. My paintings are realistic but express abstract concepts such as natural energy. As well, I am also drawn to the ideas behind quantum physics. I also like to refer to traditional Chinese art, primarily Chinese classical painting.

​What are you passionate about?
I am passionate about expressing my spiritual journey through painting. As well, in many of my paintings I use the Ying and Yang symbol. Balance and harmony are important to my work and life.

​Tell us about some of the feedback you typically receive from people that discover your work.
After exhibits, when I review the guest books, I read visitors’ messages and I feel particularly inspired by sentiments such as “This painting really deeply touched me”; or “I loved the philosophy behind this painting”.

"The main theme of my work has been the intersection between the natural world and the spiritual realm. My paintings are realistic but express abstract concepts such as natural energy."

The Survivors

​What are you currently working on?
I am currently working on a group of paintings entitled Raising Phoenix. The background of these new canvases feature dark scenes such as different disasters, war, and even fire. But there is still hope after such events. We go through these crises and rise to be stronger. My work will examine these troubling themes and continue to pair unexpected forms, evoking I hope, emotion and hope in my viewers.

​What can we look forward to in the near future, what directions will you be exploring?
I will continue creating inspirational painting that seek to touch the hearts of my viewers. In my upcoming series I explore the phenomena of a particular bamboo plant that grows very slowly for two years as a way of establishing strong roots, only to suddenly in the third year grow two to three feet per day! I believe there is a lesson in the life of this plant that can apply to human life as well. We should focus on building strong foundations before we can take off and thrive. There is much to explore in this analogy and I am excited to see where this takes me.

Interconnection

"In my upcoming series I explore the phenomena of a particular bamboo plant that grows very slowly for two years as a way of establishing strong roots, only to suddenly in the third year grow two to three feet per day! I believe there is a lesson in the life of this plant that can apply to human life as well. We should focus on building strong foundations before we can take off and thrive."

Energy

Lingling Zhao @ Work

​Tell us about your location and its influence on your work.
Living in Las Vegas gives me a lot of opportunities to be inspired and influenced by others. I am surrounded by beautiful nature, fascinating shows, and interesting architecture. As an artist living in a relatively small community I find I have a lot of access to see talent, including performances, art and galleries.

​​How do you feel about art and its role in the world?
I like to say that art is energy and vibration which motivates and inspires. Artists often create art to communicate with others, to share views, beliefs, and feelings. It is important because it can shape perceptions of current events as well as resonate on a more personal and intimate level. It is said that art is a mirror to society and the world is in pain. I believe artists have a significant role to play. Today more than ever the world needs balance and harmony to overcome current challenges. I hope that my art can offer reprieve, thoughtfulness, spiritual meditation and exploration.

"The pandemic is here to stay, and it will change our lives and our behaviors. And yet, as we accept this new reality of social distancing, constant protection, and quarantine, we still dream of freedom."

Banyan Tree

Search for Truth

How do you want your art to affect the viewer?
I am an emotional person and my art works reflect that. My paintings are very often inspired by real life events. For example my painting Old Women Praying responds to my trip to the country where I saw sorrow and grief (and hope) in the scene of local women praying while workers were re-building Kathmandu after the disaster. Similarly, my work Vegas Strong responds to the massacre in Las Vegas on October 17, 2017 and depicts 58 lanterns symbolizing the souls we lost that day. When this work was exhibited, people really seemed to bond with the work. This kind of reaction is really what gives me the inspiration to keep on making artwork. I want my work to have a deep meaning and make a real impact.
​I want my art to respond to the world today.

What has the Covid pandemic meant to you and how has it influenced your creativity?
Covid-19 pandemic had a profound impact on all of us. Over 90% of all artists have lost their income. Many museums, galleries and art institutions have closed, and some might not open again. The loss to our society will be immeasurable and can only be softened by government action. I hope there will be enough will to support our community. In terms of my own practice, the pandemic inspired recent work such as The Rise of Phoenix where the three dancers emerge from the disaster enriched by the experience. The beauty of their movement demonstrates their spiritual higher ground and the hope for a better future. In The Break, we see a masked baby in a nursery contemplating a scene of of surreal fissure. The pandemic is here to stay, and it will change our lives and our behaviors. And yet, as we accept this new reality of social distancing, constant protection, and quarantine, we still dream of freedom.


www.linglingart.com
www.greatspiritualgifts.com
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