ILLUSTRATED:

Born in 1963, Li Chen, a talented sculptor, has exhibited his art in New York, Chicago, Miami, Houston, Paris, London, Geneva, Venice, Shanghai, Beijing, Singapore, Seoul, Jakarta, and Taipei, and his works have been housed in many different countries. An important contemporary internationally renowned artist, in 2007 Li has been invited to exhibit in the 52nd International Art Exhibition: La Biennale Di Venezia, the highest honored academic exhibition, which won him great reputation and fame. Li's "In Search of Spiritual Space" Solo Exhibition will take place at National Art Museum of China in Beijing, April 2008, and his new series of sculpture display art will be shown at Beijing 798 Art District in October 2008.

Li Chen has acquired Buddhism, Taoism, and other classics to search for truth, which transmitted into his sculpture in an attempt to represent the Oriental spirit and essence. Li Chen uses "emptiness" as his important aesthetic concept in creation. Emptiness and non-being are the major concepts of Buddhism and Taoism in the Chinese culture. Emptiness embedded in Buddhism does not refer to nothing, but signifying a grand serene life and dead witty stage. Similarly, the Taoism saying goes, "Emptiness breaks; Silence resumes," suggesting a perfect moment of breaking and silencing, in search of a way in the moderation. Li Chen's sculpture conveys the energy of emptiness in a sculpture object, empty outside but filled up with energy inside. Owing to Li Chen's rebirth of energy in a spiritual form, the sculpture is highlighted in an exaggerated and lacquered black object to display a sweet, romantic, joyful, and satisfactory spiritual concept. Hence, despite Li's art is in gigantic form, but never heavy but flowing in the sky to transmit a "heavy and light" feeling, and a perfect fusion of spiritual energy and material energy. Li Chen's art, determined to break from the traditional thousand-year religious Buddhist formality of its structures, results in transforming Tang Dynasty's Buddhist round and complete figurative sculpture and the Song Dynasty's beautiful spirit and unique characteristics into simplistic sculpture's smiling face and lines. In addition, Li obtains the cultural elements from the 5000 years of Chinese history, such as spirits, Buddha, dragon, fables, and legends, blending contemporary artistic elements and materials into fusion of tradition and modernity. Hence, Li's work displays an unprecedented unique style and panorama to endow the Eastern sculpture with a new life.

"Golden Rain" is an important piece within the series of "Spiritual Journey through the Great Ether," successfully integrating contemporary sculpture with Oriental artistic space concept. Ying-yang, emptiness, and wholeness flow within the aura to enable Li's art to convey lair of bright moon reflecting on the snow and water mirroring the cloudy sky. Li's art reveals the spiritual humor of similar reality and the life vitality of journey through the universe.

"I am trying to find a spiritual space in my work. And I hope that the spiritual and art come together. I hope often that in seeing my work, people will see the spiritual element in it and receive it for themselves. One implication of my work is philosophical and I hope that each piece enriches people's lives." (Li Chen)

"Golden Rain," completed in 2005, renders a scenery after rain in the late afternoon when the sunset is just above the horizon to reflect the rain in sunny gold glaze. Li captures kids who are playing in the pouring rain to joyfully blend themselves into the nature. Li ventures this feeling and scenery into concrete sculpture. Viewing from the front, we can find three rain drops on the face and neck just like eyes and nose of children. Li Chen amplifies his subjective feelings to present the unique humor and mysterious fresh lair while giving fans a different visual perspective.

Gold, signifying value, implies rain to describe the whole-hearted joy of life origin. The aura derived from "Sunset Glazes Everything in Gold" creates the warmth of gold and the energy of black, opposite but harmonious. It features timeless space for creation, spiritual but splendid aura, warm energy, continuous material value, as well as countless vitality.