Mary Lai is a renowned artist known globally for her radiant palettes and messages of tireless optimism. Her work spans across various mediums, including paintings, murals, digital works, installations, and most recently, AR-enhanced sculptures, and has been showcased in numerous cities worldwide, including New York, Miami, Dallas, Seoul, and more. Mary has recently opened a year-long project as the W Los Angeles—West Beverly Hills artist in residence. Her indelible style and prismatic energy were developed in her career as an accessories designer, which included an award-winning namesake handbag collection. The W Los Angeles exhibition is an atmospheric experience that draws on Mary’s eclectic experience in fashion, installation, and material experimentation, titled “Unlock Your Dreams,” celebrating the power of inclusivity while examining and promoting the beauty of following one’s own path.
When Mary was asked about her journey as an artist, she shared that she had always loved to draw and make things from a very young age, identifying herself as an artist. It was not until her senior year in high school when she created a portfolio that Mary realized her true passion and decided to pursue visual art as a career.
Mary’s work is ever-evolving, with vibrant colors and a playfulness on the surface, and she hopes that her art has the substance to leave a lasting emotional connection with the viewer. If Mary was not an artist, she would have remained a designer. For ten years before she moved on to creating visual art, Mary designed fashion accessories and thoroughly enjoyed the creative process from initial concept to final product.
Mary attended Mason Gross School of the Arts (at Rutgers University) for Graphic Design, where she learned more about being a conceptual thinker than actual technical skills. In hindsight, Mary believes that those lessons were the groundwork to shape future artists. Mary currently lives and works in L.A. because she was relocated there for a design job in 2015 with her partner. There is a creative energy in L.A. that Mary and her partner fell in love with, and they felt like it was home after having their kids.
Mary has shown her art in small shows, even when she was in New York as a fashion accessories designer. However, Mary considers her first show to be at The Other Art Fair at the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica in 2019, when she took that leap to be a full-time visual artist. Mary’s most notable accomplishment to this point is her role as the Artist in Residence at the W Los Angeles—West Beverly Hills in 2023, with the grand opening taking place on May 11. She takes over the lobby with her paintings/mixed media artworks, a large-scale sculpture at the front entrance, and a digital art gallery.
When Mary was asked which artist she would most like to collaborate with, living or dead, she replied without hesitation, “Yayoi Kusama. Her life and creative output is a source of motivation for me due to her triumphs over the obstacles of cultural norms, gender, race, and even her own mental wellbeing.” Mary listens to music, podcasts, or audiobooks while she works, depending on her mood. Her go-to is her indie playlist, but she also listens to The Strokes, Karen O, Kendrick Lamar, and Harry Styles.
Mary’s work promotes positivity, inclusivity, and the beauty of following one’s own path. She is an inspiration to those pursuing their passion, and her art leaves a lasting emotional connection with the viewer.
