Liao WanNing

Liao Yuanning's Artistic Resume

Liao Wanning, a female artist born in the 1970s, currently resides in Canada and is a contemporary figurative oil painter from China.

She is a renowned contemporary Chinese female oil painter who integrates Symbolist and Figurative Realism styles. In July 1998, she graduated from the Second Oil Painting Studio of the Oil Painting Department at Xi 'an Academy of Fine Arts with a bachelor's degree, specializing in Impressionism research from 1999 to 2000, and pursued postgraduate studies at Xi 'an Academy of Fine Arts. In July 2001, she completed the advanced professional program at Xi' an Academy of Fine Arts.

I. International Recognition & Association Membership

• Member of the Canadian Artists Society (SCA)
• Member of the Oil Painters Association of America (OPA)
• Member of the American Society of Portrait Painters (OPI)
• Member of the American Professional Artists League (AAPL)
• Professional Member of the International Group of Realists (IGOR)
• Member of the National Association of Oil and Acrylic Painters (NOAPS)
• Member of the Color pencils Society of America (CPSA)

II. Educational Background

• Graduated in 1998 from the Second Studio of the Oil Painting Department at Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts, specializing in Impressionism studies.
• 1999–2000: Postgraduate Course Advanced Studies at Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts
• Graduated from the Advanced Professional Training Program for University Teachers at Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts in 2001.

III. Liao Wanning's Artistic Perspectives and Practice

Liao Yuanning's artistic practice consistently navigates the boundaries between reality and dreams, memory and the present, private experience and public history. Rather than seeking conclusions for a complex world, she employs a juxtaposition of figurative paintings and symbolic imagery to depict the existential conditions of contemporary individuals amidst war, identity fragmentation, and emotional isolation. Her works are neither fantasies of escaping reality nor direct documentary accusations; they represent a form of visual reflection situated between the visible and the inexpressible.

From an artistic perspective, Liao Wanning explicitly rejects reducing painting to mere technical demonstration or stylistic consumption. She views painting as an ethical practice—one that serves both as testimony and response. Whether creating portraits, still lifes, or works on war themes, her focus lies not in the events themselves but in how they impact human emotions, memories, and dignity. She addresses contemporary issues through figurative expression while avoiding emotional manipulation and narrative control, thereby maintaining a restrained yet open tension in her compositions.

At the level of identity, her work demonstrates a clear cross-cultural awareness. As an artist who completed her academic training in China and subsequently lived long-term in Canada, she neither adheres to a single cultural narrative nor conforms to the conceptual paradigms of Western contemporary art. Women, animals, vintage objects, and war symbols recur throughout her works, forming an unstructured experiential framework that responds to the ever-evolving and fluid identity states of individuals within the context of globalization.

As an international female artist, her uniqueness lies not in overt gender identification but in her sustained focus on vulnerable, silent, and overlooked details. In her War of Ukraine series, she employs colored pencils—a private and fragile medium—to confront the violent realities of war head-on, resisting coercion with gentleness and challenging abstract ideologies through personal experience.

Liao Yuanning's work addresses contemporary social issues through meticulous composition, enhances emotional depth and memory through symbolic structures, and transforms personal experiences into visually compelling expressions of universal significance—demonstrating the enduring and profound value of modern figurative painting. This is precisely why her works have earned first prizes.

IV. Artistic Practice and Professional Experience

• From 2000 to 2006, served as Art Director at a comprehensive women's magazine under the Shaanxi Provincial Press and Publication System.
• From 2007 to 2010, he collaborated with Hong Kong's Baoqutang Contemporary Art Museum, where he held a solo oil painting exhibition and participated in numerous domestic and international exhibitions.
• In 2015, she established the "Liao Wanning Art Space" and became a professional artist, dedicating herself to contemporary figurative painting and art education.
• Since 2023, he has resided in Canada, specializing in contemporary figurative and symbolic painting. He serves as a contracted mentor for galleries and an art lecturer.

V. Major Solo Exhibitions and Projects

• In 1998, my graduation project titled "Prayer" won the first prize in the graduation competition at Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts and was published in the journal *Fine Arts*.
• 2008 Solo Exhibition at Hong Kong Baokutang Contemporary Art Gallery
• In 2015, the oil portrait exhibition *The Hundred Faces of All Beings* (held at Xi'an Old Steel Plant Art District) was accompanied by an academic symposium titled *Dialogue Between People*.
• In 2016–2017, independently completed the touring exhibition of portrait sketches for 120 renowned contemporary Chinese writers and poets (New York, USA; China Chongqing).
• In 2020, independently completed the oil painting portrait project "Portraits of Academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Sciences" (including 72 individuals).

VI. Major Awards and Selections (Selected)

2023

• INNOART PRIZE International Art Competition – Silver Award („Daydream")
• Silver Award at the International Art Salon in Paris, France (for "The Spiritual Drainage of Men")

2024

• INNOART PRIZE International Art Competition – Silver Award („Cloud Shoulders")
• Selected for the Exhibition of Works by Artists from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and Overseas Chinese at the 14th National Art Exhibition ("Spinning Wheel")
• Three Awards in the American Art Competition

2025

• The International Artist Magazine Challenge in the United States – Special Prize in Still Life Category ("China Tea Table 2")
• International Realism Society (IGI) Autumn Salon – First Prize (Oil Painting Still Life "China Beijing Persimmons")
• The 35th edition of the 2025 National Oil Painters Society of America (NOAPS) Exhibition – "American Best International Jury Award for Best Still Life" (oil painting still life "China Water Peach").

2026

• The oil painting "Return to Canaan 3" advanced to the finals of the 19th ARC International Salon in the United States and was awarded the Sheng Xinyu Art Prize.
• The oil painting "Wild Flowers of the Celtic Coast" has been invited to participate in the 2026 annual exhibition organized by the Royal Chartered Society of Portraits Painters.
• The oil painting "Meeting Another Self in the Fields of Donbas" has been selected for the Royal Birmingham Artists Association's 2026 Summer Exhibition.
• The oil painting "Wild Flowers on the Celtic Coast" won first place in the 2026 Spring Online Exhibition organized by the National Association of Oil and Acrylic Painters.

1. Selected Media Interviews

September 2024 – Luca Curci, a critic at the ITSLIQUID International Group's "Artists" section, conducted an exclusive interview with painter Liao Wanning.

https://www.itsliquid.com/interview-liao-wan-ning.html

December 2024 – A special interview with Liao Wanning by renowned Italian art critic Sandra Miranda

https://medium.com/@sandramirandap/liao-wanning-the-painter-standing-strong-among-dreamlike-memory-and-reality-193914bd91db

December 2024 – An exclusive interview with artists around the world: https://artistsonthemap.blogspot.com/2024/12/liao-wanning-chinese-contemporary-artist.html

June 2025 – Invited for an exclusive interview in the "Artists Focus" section of the internationally renowned art online journal Contemporary Art Curator.

https://www.contemporaryartcuratormagazine.com/

https://www.contemporaryartcuratormagazine.com/home-2/liao-wanning- interview

September 2025 – Featured in an exclusive interview with *Premium Contemporary Artists* magazine, where he presented his works *Male Wisdom* and *When We Were Together*.

https://www.amazon.es/dp/9699392363/ref=sr_1_1?__mk_es_ES=%C5M%C5

September 2025 – Selected for an exclusive interview in Issue 240 of the October 2025 edition of *American Art Collector*.

https://www.internationalartmagazineshop.com/collections/american-art-collector/products/aac-issue-240

8. Should I have the honor of becoming an SCA member, I will volunteer without compensation to support the association's daily operations and artistic promotion efforts. Leveraging my professional art expertise and practical skills, I will contribute to the association's development in three key areas: exhibition organization, artistic exchange initiatives, and content promotion.

A. Available volunteer work directions that can be implemented on-site

Exhibition coordination services: Assist the association in soliciting and screening submissions domestically and internationally, coordinating exhibition layout arrangements, communicating with participating artists, facilitating the execution of both offline and online exhibition processes, and overseeing content verification and display information organization.

Art Workshop Operations: Leveraging expertise in portrait painting, volunteers lead or assist in planning thematic art workshops, developing course content, coordinating participant arrangements, and managing workshop venues and schedules.

Content Operations for Promotion: Assist in organizing exhibition visuals and texts, drafting exhibition-related posts and event summaries, and supporting the association's new media content updates.

B. Areas of Personal Expertise

Specialty 1: Support in portrait art creation and evaluation, with expertise in realistic portrait painting; volunteers to participate in preliminary reviews, competition critiques, and Q&A sessions.

Specialty 2: Comprehensive coordination of small-to-medium exhibitions and art salons, with expertise in the entire process from soliciting submissions to exhibition setup and opening events.

Specialty 3: Text and image layout design, organization of materials for online exhibitions, and assistance in arranging content for virtual exhibition spaces.

During daily free time, I complete assigned volunteer tasks, proactively address association needs, recommend domestic and international artists, and enhance the industry influence of SCA.

IX. Reasons for Applying to Join the Society

For the past two years, I have been a member of the Canadian Artists Society (SCA), actively participating in its portrait exhibitions and academic exchange programs. With a deep commitment to figurative realistic portraiture and figure painting, I endorse the society's mission to foster integration between local and international art practices, and am eager to join this platform to collaborate with artists worldwide. As a member, I aim to contribute to the society's exhibitions, public welfare workshops, and other volunteer initiatives by sharing creative resources and promoting artistic exchange between China and other countries.

X. Introduction to the Official Website

I specialize in realistic portrait art and have exhibited internationally. It is an honor to become a new member of the SCA. I fully endorse the association's commitment to advancing portrait art and connecting global artists. Moving forward, I am eager to actively support the organization's exhibition planning, art salons, and bilingual exchange initiatives, share creative insights, recommend domestic artistic resources, and contribute to the diversified development of the SCA's art ecosystem through both artistic practice and volunteer work.