EXHIBITED:
Greatness of spirit – Li Chen Premiere Sculpture Exhibition in Taiwan 2011, Chiang Kai-
Shek Memorial Hall, Taipei, November 6 - December 4, 2011

ILLUSTRATED:
The Beacon Series: When Night Light Glimmers – Li Chen, Asia Art Center, Taipei, 2010, pp. 44-49
Greatness of spirit – Li Chen Premiere Sculpture Exhibition in Taiwan 2011, Asia Art Center, CO., Ltd., Taipei, 2011, p. 202

This sculpture is to be sold with a certificate of authenticity issued by Asia Art Center, Taipei.

When examining the artistic career of contemporary sculptor Li Chen, one can see that, in his early “Beauty of Emptiness” series, while seeking to portray different aspects of the Buddha, Li also incorporated some of his own aesthetic attitudes, so that besides the religious power of the work, creating it also provided the artist himself with an opportunity to practice Buddhist self-cultivation in his own life, and the finished work opened up new artistic possibilities for contemporary Buddhist statuary. 1998 saw the beginnings of a shift in Li’s style; starting with his “Energy of Emptiness” series, one begins to see the soft, curving lines that have become so characteristic of Li’s work, and from this period onwards his statutes have a distinctive roundness and fullness about them. Although Li Chen’s creative work continued to be influenced by Zen thought and other aspects of Buddhist philosophy, in his later work one no longer sees figures holding Buddhist regalia or making conventional Buddhist hand movements; rather, they are shown in various kinds of “worldly” poses, laughing and happy. Besides the inherent quality of the sculpting, these later pieces also embody a finely expressed emotional sensibility that warms the heart of the viewer.

In an article on Li’s work entitled “Landscapes of Harmony – the Sculpture of Li Chen” (included in the exhibition catalog to “Li Chen – In Search of Spiritual Space: 2008 Solo Exhibition at National Art Museum of China,” Asia Art Center, 2008, pp. 4 – 5), National Art Museum of China Director Fan Di’an used the term “harmony” (yuanrong), which derives from the “Mahayana Teaching on Calm and Insight,” where it is used to mean the abandoning of preconceptions and achievement of harmony that allows one to reach enlightenment. Li Chen’s “harmonious” sculpture incorporates the simplicity and spareness of Western sculptural forms, while his use of black bodies and detailed surface texture give his work a strongly contemporary feel. Li overturned the conventions of Buddhist sculpture, using his own unique style to express sculptural themes that have a strong East Asian character to them. This particular piece forms part of Li Chen’s “The Beacon – When Night Light Glimmers” series, the inspiration for which came from Li’s lighting of a candle on the family altar in his home (“Greatness of Spirit: Li Chen Premiere Sculpture Exhibition in Taiwan,” Asia Art Center, 2011, p. 200). The figure holding the dragon-shaped candle holder has a calm, relaxed expression, emanating the lightness of spirit of an ancient sage. The figure seems to float amidst the enveloping white cloud base, like an immortal being riding the clouds. Li Chen has cleverly and deliberately incorporated the element of “fire” into this work, so that the sculpture becomes a bright light guiding the viewer along a spiritual path. The symbolic power of eternal flame transforms the sculpture into a work brimming over with vitality, making this a classic example of Li Chen’s work, with its refined, gentlemanly spirituality.