Opening at IAMA in the Lightspace Gallery on January 4th, 2025. On display through March 1st.

January 4th, 2025 – March 1st, 2025

Reception: January 18th, from 3 PM – 5 PM

Title: Colors of Memory: Celebrating the Chinese New Year

As an immigrant in San Francisco, the arrival of Chinese New Year always stirs a complex blend of emotions. While my hometown feels distant, the vibrant celebrations here rekindle cherished memories and a profound sense of belonging. Each lion dance, lantern, and family gathering brings the essence of home closer, weaving together nostalgia and hope. This time of year transforms the city, reminding us of our roots while forging new connections. In the heart of this multicultural metropolis, the celebration of festivities becomes a bridge between past and present, honoring our traditions and celebrating the new chapters of our lives.

Home transcends geography; it becomes a feeling, a connection, and a source of strength. In every vibrant red lantern, every soft blue shadow, and every glowing orange light, we carry a piece of home with us, making each place we go feel like a continuation of our journey.

Artist Biography

Ni is an award winning oil painter based in the San Francisco Bay area. She grew up in a small town in southern China, studied law at Beijing University and pursued graduate studies in the U.S. and Canada. A career change happened when Ni fell in love with painting. She honed her passion for the media by attending classes at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and taking workshops with master painters, ultimately earning a Master of Fine Arts degree. Ni’s academic and creative pursuits from law to art and personal transition from China to North America have informed her practice as an artist.

Ni is a signature member of Oil Painters of America and the American Impressionist Society, and an artist member of the California Art Club. Recent recognitions include Best of Show Award in the Women Artists of the West 54th National Exhibition in 2024, Best Impressionism Award in the National Oil and Acrylic Painters’ Society Best of America Exhibition in 2023, First Place Award in the Landscape category of the 37th Artist’s Magazine Annual Art Competition in 2020, and the Outstanding Composition and Technique Award of Excellence at the 2017 OPA annual National Exhibition. She is represented by Reinert Fine Art in Charleston, SC.