Ying Larrimore: "Shanghai Indiana Fusion"

September 13, 2025 - January 11, 2026

Shook Gallery

Larimore’s work is a vibrant fusion of cultures, techniques, and traditions. Born and raised in Shanghai, China, during a time of political unrest, her early exposure to art came through private lessons before her education was interrupted by years of labor on a communal rice farm. When Chinese universities reopened in 1979, she was accepted into the prestigious School of Art at the University of Shanghai, where she earned her B.A. in Art & Design in 1982. She later worked as an art designer in Shanghai before moving to the United States to pursue an M.A. in Fine Arts at Purdue University, which she received in 1989.

Her artistic vision merges the refined lines and motifs of classical Chinese painting with the expressive color and freedom of Western modernism. A formative visit to the Art Institute of Chicago introduced her to the works of van Gogh, Monet, Matisse, and Pollock—an experience that deeply shaped her practice. As she explains, “Every time I pick up my charcoal or my paintbrush, I am combining the traditions I grew up with and the possibilities I discovered here.”

Based in Indiana for much of her career, Larimore also shared her passion through decades of teaching in local schools and community art programs. Her work has been exhibited in Shanghai, Tokyo, Indianapolis, Chicago, Washington, DC, and throughout Indiana.

Shanghai Indiana Fusion celebrates an artistic journey shaped by resilience, reinvention, and the dynamic blending of East and West.