PRINTPROVENANCE:
Private collection, Asia
EXHIBITED:
Running the Silk Road, Destination of ultramarathon, Xian, 2011 (different sized version)
Greatness of Spirit: Li Chen Premiere Sculpture Exhibition in Taiwan, Chang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Taipei, November 6 - December 4, 2011(different sized version)
Li Chen's Major Sculpture Solo Exhibition, Place Vendôme, Paris, September 2-29, 2013 (different sized version)
ILLUSTRATED:
The Beacon Series When Night Light Glimmers, Asia Art Center, Taipei, 2010, color illustrated, pp. 70-77(different sized version)
Greatness of Spirit: Li Chen Premiere Sculpture Exhibition in Taiwan, Asia Art Center, Taipei, 2012, color illustrated, pp. 114-115 & pp. 204-205(different sized version)
Li Chen's Major Sculpture Solo Exhibition , Asia Art Center, Taipei, 2014, color illustrated, p. 17, p. 32, pp. 62-63, p. 73, pp. 106-107(different sized version)
This sculpture is to be sold with a certificate of authenticity issued by Asia Art Center, Taipei.
Catalogue Note:
''Behind the Beacon series is a ceremonial process; its essence lies in Yinze - the full of diminishing glory and the moon.'' - LI CHEN
One day in 2009 Li Chen returned home after a busy day at work, lit the oil lamp in the family hallway for worship where that had sat idle for so long and sat there enjoying the warmth of silence. This experience provided the inspiration for Beacon series. This series was completed with just eight pieces and was very focused interims of its motif.
Fire provided Mankind with the ability to cook food, marking the beginning of civilization. All cultures and religions have legends about the birth of fire, in Chinese legends it is Suiren, in Greek legend Prometheus. Even the totems of primitive tribes and their reverence for fire points in the direction of light and the idea of providing spiritual direction. The interaction people and fire is replete with warmth, security, knowledge and happiness and as such the significance of fire for Mankind has been remained unshakeable over the years. The dancing flames and light seem infused with spirituality and vitality, an atmosphere that is infused with an endless cycle of life. Li Chen says: ''Behind the Beacon series is a ceremonial process: its essence lies in Yinze - the full of diminishing glory of the sun and the moon.'' The artist attempts to ensure that the the act of lighting the lamp makes the sculpture more ''interactive''. If we observe the movement in light and shade from different angles and changes in lightness and darkness on the sculpture then this visual layering explains the three dimensions stimulates the viewer's sensory awareness and speaks to the spirituality the human soul, as the interplay of shade, atmosphere, breathing and space combines to enrich the meaning of the sculpture.
Golden Deity Daluo, the inspiration behind the work “Golden Palm”, is known as the Taoist deity of the highest order. If a devotee can attain his level of sage hood through cultivation of the Way, then his physical body and spirit will undergo a divine transformation that will help release him from the eternal cycle of birth and death. While we know for sure the origin of the Chinese title for Golden Palm, the ortrayal of a figure in a horizontal position with one hand in the waters touching the moon and the other holding a flame heavenward conveys the movement and speed of a modern jet plane, its horizontally positioned body conjures the illusion of speed, evoking a sense of movement in an otherwise inanimate piece of sculpture. There is a sense of liberation, as the will is freely unleashed to roam as it pleases. The glowing light from his golden palm further enhances.
Private collection, Asia
EXHIBITED:
Running the Silk Road, Destination of ultramarathon, Xian, 2011 (different sized version)
Greatness of Spirit: Li Chen Premiere Sculpture Exhibition in Taiwan, Chang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Taipei, November 6 - December 4, 2011(different sized version)
Li Chen's Major Sculpture Solo Exhibition, Place Vendôme, Paris, September 2-29, 2013 (different sized version)
ILLUSTRATED:
The Beacon Series When Night Light Glimmers, Asia Art Center, Taipei, 2010, color illustrated, pp. 70-77(different sized version)
Greatness of Spirit: Li Chen Premiere Sculpture Exhibition in Taiwan, Asia Art Center, Taipei, 2012, color illustrated, pp. 114-115 & pp. 204-205(different sized version)
Li Chen's Major Sculpture Solo Exhibition , Asia Art Center, Taipei, 2014, color illustrated, p. 17, p. 32, pp. 62-63, p. 73, pp. 106-107(different sized version)
This sculpture is to be sold with a certificate of authenticity issued by Asia Art Center, Taipei.
Catalogue Note:
''Behind the Beacon series is a ceremonial process; its essence lies in Yinze - the full of diminishing glory and the moon.'' - LI CHEN
One day in 2009 Li Chen returned home after a busy day at work, lit the oil lamp in the family hallway for worship where that had sat idle for so long and sat there enjoying the warmth of silence. This experience provided the inspiration for Beacon series. This series was completed with just eight pieces and was very focused interims of its motif.
Fire provided Mankind with the ability to cook food, marking the beginning of civilization. All cultures and religions have legends about the birth of fire, in Chinese legends it is Suiren, in Greek legend Prometheus. Even the totems of primitive tribes and their reverence for fire points in the direction of light and the idea of providing spiritual direction. The interaction people and fire is replete with warmth, security, knowledge and happiness and as such the significance of fire for Mankind has been remained unshakeable over the years. The dancing flames and light seem infused with spirituality and vitality, an atmosphere that is infused with an endless cycle of life. Li Chen says: ''Behind the Beacon series is a ceremonial process: its essence lies in Yinze - the full of diminishing glory of the sun and the moon.'' The artist attempts to ensure that the the act of lighting the lamp makes the sculpture more ''interactive''. If we observe the movement in light and shade from different angles and changes in lightness and darkness on the sculpture then this visual layering explains the three dimensions stimulates the viewer's sensory awareness and speaks to the spirituality the human soul, as the interplay of shade, atmosphere, breathing and space combines to enrich the meaning of the sculpture.
Golden Deity Daluo, the inspiration behind the work “Golden Palm”, is known as the Taoist deity of the highest order. If a devotee can attain his level of sage hood through cultivation of the Way, then his physical body and spirit will undergo a divine transformation that will help release him from the eternal cycle of birth and death. While we know for sure the origin of the Chinese title for Golden Palm, the ortrayal of a figure in a horizontal position with one hand in the waters touching the moon and the other holding a flame heavenward conveys the movement and speed of a modern jet plane, its horizontally positioned body conjures the illusion of speed, evoking a sense of movement in an otherwise inanimate piece of sculpture. There is a sense of liberation, as the will is freely unleashed to roam as it pleases. The glowing light from his golden palm further enhances.