Linh VIVACE

I was born in a refugee camp in Malaysia to Vietnamese boat people and, after a six-month stay in the Philippines, immigrated to the United States with my family at the age of one and a half. Growing up on the Pacific Coast, in northwestern Washington, I internalized my hometown’s marine views and the mountainous, forested landscape of the region. Like all children, I drew freely; however, it was not until I discovered oil painting at the age of fifteen that my creative world truly began to take shape. Usually painting and drawing deep into the night or very early in the morning, in-between classes and work, I developed my techniques and personal symbolism over the next decade. I also took advantage of the uninstructed drop-in figure drawing studios offered at an art school across the canal from my university during my college years. At the age of twenty-four, I finally had my first solo art show, in Seattle, which was then followed by three more. All the while, I worked as a laser scientist and design engineer—my formal education being primarily in physics, mathematics, and electrical engineering.

In March 2018, I picked up the baton of my family’s past as voyagers and continued east, driving alone across the country to begin a new job and life on the Atlantic Coast. Now, in addition to being an artist, I am a physicist and engineer living and working on Long Island. My scientific work simply provides one more opportunity to paint: using the symbols of mathematics, I am able to render my observations and understanding of the physical realm. Traveling the world whenever possible and dividing my time between the remoteness of a national laboratory, the centrality of New York City, and the East and West Coasts, I continue to experience life across vastly different cultures, social strata, and disciplines. This rich mixture of experiences—both positive and negative—underlies my art, which serves as a visual record of moments along my life’s journey. Literature, language, history, music, and philosophy also feature from time to time—punctuating my artwork with whatever else happens to be on my mind. Often mistaken for interpretations of real locations, the scenes in fact depict emotional terrains and places in my psyche. However, they remain heavily influenced by my physical surroundings and travels. My upbringing in the Pacific Northwest especially still comes through in my work.

I am always looking forward to the next adventure.

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