Meng Lingwei started drawing and painting as an adolescent, with an early focus on rendering landscapes and elements of nature. He created works that reflected his reimagining of famous settings, with a unique color palette that added richly captivating dimension and drama. His art was often described as textural and narrative, arousing emotion, giving viewers a feeling of connection, and stimulating discussion around his work.

His evolution as an artist involved his work becoming decidedly more narrative, with elements of historical tales represented in refined details, and paintings that captivated attention and stimulated emotion. Ancient stories become contemporized under his touch as he brings new possibility to characters and revised outcomes to long accepted ones.

Meng Lingwei, through his artistic trajectory, became a storyteller weaving a narrative that allowed the ordinary to rise to the extraordinary. This allure came to full fruition in his first solo show in California in the summer of 2024. The show was a culmination of his exploration of San Francisco, a city known for sweeping panoramas and landmarks with the beauty of the Bay and the Pacific Ocean as ever-present backdrops. In his interpretation of both, he defied popular depictions and delivered instead a nuanced suite of works entitled Finding San Francisco. If the title reflected his mandate, he delivered – twelve paintings that showed an astonishing and tender presentation of details set against well-traveled viewpoints. The show captivated his audience and left many awaiting his next endeavor.