Born and trained in China, Wanning Liao’s art career took off in 2008 with her debut solo exhibition in Hong Kong, which marked the beginning of her recognition in the art world. Known for merging tradition with contemporary narratives, Liao’s artwork is grounded in realism with hints of abstraction blended in, as seen in works like her recent Back to Canaan 1 and Back to Canaan 2, as well as in her winning piece Chinese Tea Table 2, fabric surface in International Artist’s most recent Still Life Challenge. (See this work in the April/May 2025 issue of International Artist).
The flower that can never be destroyed in the crevice of war, oil on canvas, Xuan paper, quartz sand, 23½ x 23½ in.Multidisciplinary in her approach, Liao works in a truly expansive range of media, including oil, chalk, charcoal, colored pencil, watercolor and even quartz sand. Her substrates are just as diverse—sketch paper, canvas and Xuan paper, a type of paper dating back to the Tang Dynasty of China—as well as her subjects, which include everything from people and cityscapes to antiques and motorbikes. She works in both realism and semi-abstraction.
After the liberation of Odessa, Ukraine, in the square in front of the opera house, there was a special post-war graduation ball, colored pencil on sketch paper, 19½ x 25½ in.
The weekend of two Ukrainian soldiers in the amusement park of Odessa after liberation, paper, chalk and colored pencil, 19½ x 25½ in.
“A large portion of my paintings are related to my childhood memories,” says Liao. “However, in terms of painting style, I have always focused on the neoclassical figurative realistic style, using only canvas and oil paints. After 2017, I wanted to use a new creation method for me to draw the theme of old antiques. In 2018 to 2019, I decided to try to use quartz sand and oil paint to paint the textural effect of antiques and rough walls. After many practice [sessions], it was a successful attempt.”
Chinese Fan and Shoushan Stone, oil, 23½ x 31½ in.
Ms. Yang Liping - Queen of Peacock Dance of Bai Nationality in China, oil on canvas, 391/3 x 31½ in.
The artist adds that her work is also an extension of culture and history, reflecting the passage of time and everything that previous generations have experienced. “No matter what stage our social progress and development has reached, the spirit [of the past] will be engraved in everyone’s heart,” she says.
“As an artist, painting has the ability to record the process of human thought, change and the developmental process of aesthetic iteration…Art transcends time, faith and nationality,” she says. “Painting humanity’s value is the most powerful aspect of human civilization.”
Liao’s work has received numerous awards and has been exhibited across the world. —
Powered by Froala Editor
