Mary Lai: Highly Likely, Maybe Not @ Eleanor Harwood Gallery

Mary Lai's textured paintings are built from layers of acrylic paint and paste. Her surfaces are deeply satisfying, with thick, tidy lines raked across areas of color like patterns in a Zen garden. The works have a rhythmic movement; shapes appear, shift, and return. Some paintings incorporate figures woven into the compositions, while others are more akin to still lifes.

In Highly Likely, Maybe Not, Lai brings a playful sense of uncertainty to compositions that are otherwise remarkably controlled. The exhibition's title suggests the sometimes absurd confidence with which we approach an unknowable future. There is humor in that contradiction, and perhaps a little optimism, too. Bright flashes of pink and soothing, warm tones lend the paintings an exuberance that is tempered by their playful, off-kilter compositions. Beneath the carefully ordered surfaces, a gentle sense of chaos persists.

For Lai, this tension between order and uncertainty reflects the space between doubt and belief. She suggests that perhaps the answer to indecision is a spoonful of delusion, just enough to keep chasing dreams that might one day meet us in reality.

About Mary Lai

Mary Lai is a multifaceted Korean-American artist based in Los Angeles, California. She infuses her vibrant contemporary works with a dreamer's vision, aiming to uplift and evoke emotion. With over 20 years of experience in art and design, Lai is known for her dynamic compositions, rich use of color, signature texture, and evocative narratives. Her diverse work spans paintings, mixed media art, illustrations, large-scale murals, and sculptures.  She blends her experiences, memories and imagination to create art relating to identity through symbols, storytelling and reoccurring motifs. With a commitment to creating and curating art with impact, Lai continues to explore and push the boundaries of her artistic expression.