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Lot Essay
Li Chen began his career as an artist by carving Buddhist sculptures for local temples in his native Taiwan. Of this time, he said, "I felt I knew very little about the subject, and what I did was not good enough. So I bought many books and began reading about Buddhism, religion, and philosophy, and even ventured into Taoism. At the same time, I visited museums to look at original Buddhist sculptures. The more I was exposed to them, the more deeply moved I became." His aesthetic style eventually evolved from more traditional depictions of Buddhist figures into minimalist forms composed of soft, rounded lines.
In addition to his deep understanding of material, this sculpture is a testament to Li Chen's virtuosic comprehension of form. Though the figure's bronze rendered body bulges out, expanding in every direction, as if inflated, the figure appears as light as the silver cloud resting on his finger-as though he might drift away if a gentle wind pushed him from his perch. In contrast, the rock beneath his foot appears solid, anchoring the entire composition to the ground. This heightens the materiality of the medium in a way that is nearly spiritual in and of itself. The effect is a powerful juxtaposition between heaviness and lightness, mass and void, which is fundamentally a statement that invites viewers towards a serene and spiritual meditation on the Buddhist concept of "emptiness".
Li Chen's whimsical approach to proportion provides another layer of fascination to this work. He inverts the relationship between architecture and figure, making us wonder about the proportions of both. Has the palace been miniaturized to fit atop its silver cloud platter or is it the figure that is oversize and colossally inflated to deity like proportions? This play on scale also has the effect of making the palace appear higher up, firmly lodged in the heavens. Li Chen seeks to manipulate proportion in Floating Heavenly Palace (Lot 300), so that even if we are standing at eye level with the work, we feel the figure is towering over us as the palace floats above— just beyond reach.
In addition to his deep understanding of material, this sculpture is a testament to Li Chen's virtuosic comprehension of form. Though the figure's bronze rendered body bulges out, expanding in every direction, as if inflated, the figure appears as light as the silver cloud resting on his finger-as though he might drift away if a gentle wind pushed him from his perch. In contrast, the rock beneath his foot appears solid, anchoring the entire composition to the ground. This heightens the materiality of the medium in a way that is nearly spiritual in and of itself. The effect is a powerful juxtaposition between heaviness and lightness, mass and void, which is fundamentally a statement that invites viewers towards a serene and spiritual meditation on the Buddhist concept of "emptiness".
Li Chen's whimsical approach to proportion provides another layer of fascination to this work. He inverts the relationship between architecture and figure, making us wonder about the proportions of both. Has the palace been miniaturized to fit atop its silver cloud platter or is it the figure that is oversize and colossally inflated to deity like proportions? This play on scale also has the effect of making the palace appear higher up, firmly lodged in the heavens. Li Chen seeks to manipulate proportion in Floating Heavenly Palace (Lot 300), so that even if we are standing at eye level with the work, we feel the figure is towering over us as the palace floats above— just beyond reach.