"The Taiwanese sculptor Li Chen seeks to make art that has a spiritual space ixed with a powerful physical presence. By bringing the spiritual and the sculptural together in his igurative and narrative work, Li hopes that the philosophical nature of his work will enrich people's lives. While his art is of a deeply serious nature, his fusion of traditional Buddhist styles and contemporary ideas has resulted in work that is both humorous and full of irreverent wisdom, as well as brimming with the vitality of life and its unpredictable nature."
Ian Findlay, editor and publisher of Asian Art News
Li Chen, a contemporary sculptor born in 1963, continues to instill brand new concepts into the creation of Chinese sculptures. So far, he has held exhibitions in New York, Chicago, Miami, Houston, Paris, London, Geneva, Venice, Shanghai, Beijing, Singapore, Seoul, Jakarta and Taipei. His work has been housed by individuals and by museums in many different countries. Li Chen is one of the most important international artists at the present time. In 2007, Li was invited to exhibit his "Energy of Emptiness" at the 52nd International Art Exhibition: La Biennale Di Venezia (Venice Biennial), a highly honored academic exhibition. This has always been justifiably considered as a supreme honor. His "In Search of Spiritual Space" Solo Exhibition took place at the National Art Museum of China in Beijing, April 2008, winning him a great reputation and fame. In October, 2008, Li will unveil his large- scale installation work, the brand-new series: "Soul Guardian" at the Beijing 798 Art District. The work is expected to create a vigorous dialogue between the respective merits of the traditional spirit and modern art, and to generate a breathtaking visual effect.
Li Chen's experience in molding traditional Buddhist igurative sculptures gives him a thorough grounding in the making of religious figures and the discipline for working with materials. Later he infuses emotions directly from his heart into his work. He studies a variety of Confucian, Buddhist, Taoist scriptures, and even instills new contemporary thoughts when creating his art. Li's art allows one to sense harmony and reflect on life as well as the mischievous innocence that captures the Zen spirit by presenting the existence of emptiness and fullness, and simplicity brimming with the beauty of nature. Li Chen's sculptures express a unique oriental spirit and concept. Fan Di-An, Director of the National Art Museum of China, speaks of Li Chen's outstanding contemporary sculptures: "First, the character of Li's sculptures lies in the foundation of a spiritual aspect, embracing substance and spiritual energy. Second, the aesthetics of his sculpture is oriental, fusing Western with Eastern aspects. Third, the language of Li's sculptures leads substance toward a spiritual perspective, thereby integrating substance and spirit." The perfect combination of these three dimensions has led Li Chen, however, to breathe a new dynamic into the existing style of contemporary sculpture, exhibiting an allure of emptiness and completeness.
Li's works "Landscape in Heaven" in 2001 is one of the series of "Spiritual Journey through the Great Ether," in which he combines smooth and rough surfaces, adding gold and silver colors for emphasis. The juxtaposition of dark bronze and gold lends a feeling of solidity to his work, anchoring it to the ground. The silver foil, applied very carefully by hand, suggests the idea of floating, the ethereal, spiritual world where clouds move freely to heaven or nirvana. The bronze sculpture holds in his right hand a brilliant golden mountain and in his left hand a flat shimmering disc that signiies silver water with its noticeable ripples. "Golden Mountain and Silver Sea" signifies an affluent material life. Isn't this the perfect life everyone dreams of? The diminishing stimulation resulting from the endless pursuit of material life gradually leads us to be confused and lost. Li's Buddhist figures, short and squat, convey roundness, softness, completeness, and happiness, signifying non-material satisfaction but an appreciation of a spiritual life. Consequently, it is through these works that Li Chen allows viewers to have a deeper reflection on the meaning and value of life. A perfect life should be illed with a hunger for the material life as well as the pursuit of inner harmony. The dualism seems to lie together. When one is able to balance the two, one seems to be in the Ether, enjoying the delight and comfort of loating in the air. This dual self-satisfaction from both the material and spiritual life gives an aura of ultimate tranquility. The entire work exhibits the charm of ambiguity between lightness and heaviness, a perfect combination of spiritual and material energy.
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