Art Scene Investigation : Li Chen's Mind - Body - Spirit

I went down around the SMU , SAM and National Museum's area this afternoon to see closely the interesting and vaguely familiar plump figures that has been haunting me since I took a glimpse of it as my bus went past the vicinity last week.

I just HAVE to see it.

And here's what I found.



We live in a highly complex and volatile age. There is a deep spiritual poverty within humanity – they are spiritually lost and confused souls. Art is not merely a record of life and its activities, but is also a valuable form of spiritual healing.
Li Chen, Taichung, 2009

Well said Mr. Chen. :) I couldn't agree more.

And as you'll see in the array of pictures below, the sculptures was made of bronze. You can only see it peeking from some of the rough finishes at some tiny areas. Lovely details, though I feel it's such a waste of precious bronze if you'd eventually have it painted in black, but hey, I'm just a commoner here. :)



Anyway, these lovely sculptures are going to be on display on 25 September to 9 December 2009; and you can find them around the Singapore Art Museum, the Land Transport Authority sites above the Mass Rapid Transit stations, the Campus Green of the Singapore Management University, and under the Banyan tree of the National Museum of Singapore. The collections on display are the artist’s 21 works (25 sculptures) presented from four series: The Beauty of Emptiness (1992 to 1997), Energy of Emptiness (1998 to 2000), Spiritual Journey through the Great Ether (2001 to present) and Soul Guardians (2008 to present).




" Welcome to my humble shack " :)


I'm officially a fan. :) I LOOVEEEE these sculptures! Not only it looked contemporary, but I love the expression on each of these Buddhas, their gestures, and furthermore, the philosophical meaning behind each creations. Even their size is just perfect. It's a perfect fuse between Asian philosophy, mythology, and somehow it also has a very contemporary and western look and feel. Each of the creations are powerful, and really, SMU is the perfect setting for these stunning bronze Buddhas.