Professor Lee Sun-Don, a Taiwanese artist praised by the Western media as "contemporary oriental Picasso," is exhibiting two new series – "The Dao in Hand" and "Totemic Mantra" – at the 2020 Art Revolution Taipei.Another Chapter. The series of "The Dao in Hand" uses special 3D resin to fix the stalks full of rice ears onto the painting panel – the use of ears of rice as a special medium has a moving story behind it. The "Totemic Mantra" series, also a three-dimensional creation, features the 3D resin and rosary together with the print of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy of The Diamond Sutra. It has been more than a decade since Professor Lee first created with Wang Xizhi's The Diamond Sutra as the canvas in the 2009 Venice Biennale. More importantly, on top of these creativities, Lee’s exclusively-developed energy totems are the essence, as always, that brings extraordinary transcendental spirituality and vitality to the painting.

The "The Dao in Hand" series can be said to be a continuation of the transmission of the dharma heritage of Buddhist Forshang established more than 80 years ago. It is created around the transmission of the Forshang heritage between the First and Primary Patriarch Miao-Kong Bodhisattva and the 2nd Patriarch Yuan-Dao Bodhisattva, which scene took place in the paddy field. And as such, rice stalk full of ears of rice is the key element of this series. Also interesting is, “rice” in Chinese happens to be pronounced the same as “Dao” (literally, way or path), the name of Forshang’s 2nd Patriarch Yuan-Dao Bodhisattva, and this series is thus entitled, “The Dao in Hand.” From artistic point of view, the composition takes the natural wood print of the panel, the free arrangement of the rice stalks and rice ears, and the flowing 3D resin into consideration, when Professor Lee drew the figures – whether sitting or standing, moving or resting – and the energy totems in order to portray the Dao transmitted, the mind accordance between the master and his disciple, and Professor Lee’s reminiscence of his master, Yuan-Dao Bodhisattva. Professor said, there is no specific way to “read” this series. The background can be regarded as the sky or the ground, the mountain or the water; all the images are for the viewer to feel and imagine.

The Dao in Hand / Deliverance
Mixed Media  65x65cm  2020

The "Totemic Mantra" series uses the canvas specially designed by Professor Lee when he participated in the 2009 Venice Biennale, that is, using Wang Xizhi's calligraphy of The Diamond Sutra as the base of the painting. But what is different than before, each painting is coupled with a variety of rare rosary beads of different materials, such as golden phoebe ebony, and the special 3D resin flowing naturally under gravity, and more characteristically, Professor Lee’s energy totems in multiple colors. All together come to a resonating harmonious unity. Truly unique!

Totemic Mantra / The Prajna of One Seal
Mixed Media, Gold Phoebe Ebony Rosary
66.5x66.5cm  2020

[ 2020 Art Revolution Taipei • Another Chapter ]
Date: 8/15 (Sat.) ~ 8/26 (Wed.), 2020
Reservation: (02)7743-7788 #3218, Ms. Tsai
Public Exhibition Date: 8/27 (Thur.) ~ 8/30 (Sun.), 2020
Time: 10:00 ~ 18:00
Venue: The Songshan Cultural and Creative Park (Warehouse 2 & 3)
Address: No. 133, Guangfu South Road, Xinyi District. Taipei