All in One, 1998 by Li Chen

Provenance:
Goedhuis Contemporary, London/New York
Private Collection

Literature:
"Li Chen: Bronze Sculptures," De Buck Gallery, New York, n.d., unpaginated

Despite Li Chen having initially begun his artistic career by producing traditional Buddhist statues, his practice would later evolve by merging Eastern and Western sculptural traditions. His serene sculptures, expressed through ample, voluptuous forms, are evocative of Buddhist and Taoist philosophies. His work ultimately “aspires to a spiritual arts therapy, as it uncovers a wealth of joy amidst the simple pleasures of life, innovating a spiritual space through humorous metaphors of worldly affairs.”

An ink-black figure is shown praying with eyes closed, wrapped in a simple robe while standing barefoot on a raised base. Chen has masterfully carved the figure using simple lines in order to convey his exalted state of enlightenment. Despite its monumental size, the figure appears both heavy and weightless, an aura of peacefulness emanating from him. The spiritual and the material seamlessly merge together in this statue as the meaning of the work vacillates between contemporary and timeless.