Li Chen (artist)

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Li Chen ( Chinese  李真 , Pinyin Lǐ Zhēn ; born April 16, 1963 in Yunlin ) is an artist from Taiwan (Republic of China) .

Li Chen initially designed traditional Buddha statues for Buddhist temples as a sculptor , for which he studied the classics of Buddhism and Daoism . In the 1990s he turned to modern art. Li Chen's recourse to traditional motifs and forms of Buddhist sculpture allow his works of art to wander between the expression of the spirit of East Asian harmony and the spirit of modernity .

Career

Early years

Li Chen was interested in art and painting from an early age. While at the National Dajia Industrial Senior High School, he was influenced by contemporary Taiwanese artists such as Chen Hsin-wan, Cheng Chiung-ming, Lee Chin-hsiu, and Huang Pu-ching. After completing his military service, Li Chen began to learn sculpture in Hsieh Tung-liang's studio.

1987 to 1999

In 1987 he was commissioned to create Buddha statues for a private person's altar. Li Chen then devoted himself to studying religious Buddhist art. However, he soon found that working on the tradition-bound Buddha statues limited him artistically. Li wanted to let his creativity run free, which as an artist trained in the tradition of Chinese art was only possible to a very limited extent. For this reason, he does not see the works that he created during this time as his own independent creations. Li Chen ultimately decided to focus his full attention on his own art. Since 1999 he has been implementing his own artistic ideas in his works of art.

Art since 2000

Already in his early art series, Li Chen tried to convey the spirit and meaning of the eastern cultural area through sculpture. In doing so, he succeeds in identifying and overcoming the traditional forms of expression in Buddhist sculpture. The early series “Beauty of Emptiness” and “Energy of Emptiness” created an aesthetic of emptiness using minimalist lines, which led the semiotic image of the Buddha statues to a new interpretation. The statues created a visual tension that is both heavy and light through their curves and abundance, in which the Chinese philosophy of Tao is combined with that of Qi .

Solo exhibitions

  • 2013 Li Chen 2013 Place Vendôme Premiere Sculpture Exhibition in Paris
  • 2012 Li Chen: Eternity and Commoner, Frye Art Museum, Seattle
  • 2011 Greatness of Spirit: Li Chen Premiere Sculpture Exhibition, Taipei
  • 2010 The Beacon - When Night Light Glimmers, ShContemporary 10, Shanghai
  • 2009 Li Chen: Mind‧Body‧Spirit, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore
  • 2008 Soul Guardians- Li Chen Solo Show, Asia Art Center, Beijing
In Search of Spiritual Space, National Museum of China, Beijing
  • 2007 Energy of Emptiness, 52nd International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia, Venice
  • 2005 Li Chen Sculpture, Art Taipei 2005, Taipei
  • 2003 Spiritual Journey Through the Great Ether, Michael Goedhuis Gallery, New York
  • 2001 Delights of Ordinary People, River Art Gallery, Taichung
  • 2000 The Transformation of Emptiness - Boundary within Boundary, Art Taipei 2000, Taipei
  • 1999 Energy of Emptiness, Art Taipei, Taipei

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Peng Feng: New Old Master and the Spirit of the East - Interpreting the Aesthetics of Li Chen's Sculptures. In: Greatness of Spirit: Li Chen Premiere Sculpture Exhibition in Taiwan. Asia Art Center, Taipei 2012, ISBN 978-986-86332-2-3 , p. 60.
  2. ↑ Wang Chiachi: "Like a Child." Li Chen 1992-2002 Sculpture. Asia Art Center, Taipei 2004, ISBN 957-97804-4-7 , p. 27.
  3. ↑ http://lichensculpture.gaa-software.com/
Note: This article places the family name before the person's first name. This is the usual order in Chinese. Li is the family name here, Chen is the first name.
personal data
SURNAME Li, Chen
ALTERNATIVE NAMES 李真 (Chinese)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Taiwanese sculptor
DATE OF BIRTH April 16, 1963
PLACE OF BIRTH Yunlin