One of Australia’s foremost contemporary artists, Lindy Lee was born in Brisbane in 1954 to parents who emigrated from China. Lee’s practice explores her Chinese ancestry through Daoism and Ch’an (Zen) Buddhism – philosophies that see humanity and nature as inextricably linked.
Curated by Elizabeth Ann Macgregor OBE AM and Museum of Contemporary Art Associate Curator Megan Robson, this exhibition maps the development of Lee’s work, from her response to art history and how it focused her thinking about living between two worlds, through to her discovery of the power of meditation and the interconnectedness of everything in the cosmos, a key principle in Buddhist philosophy. Lee’s deeply present and meditative approach to artmaking is evidenced in the transcendent qualities of her artworks that unfold with slow grace and assurance.
The title Moon in a Dew Drop is taken from a collection of writings by Zen philosopher, Dōgen, a 13th century Zen monk. The moon represents the infinite and changing nature of the universe and time passing. The dew drop is an impermanent piece of phenomena in the natural world. This title invokes the idea that in this tiny dew drop reflecting the moon, the whole universe can be contained. Everything is connected.
Opening Event: 2 June 2022
Exhibition: 3 June – 28 August 2022
Supported By: Navitas Ltd, Exhibition organised and toured by the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. Project assisted by the Australian Government’s Visions of Australia program.
The most comprehensive presentation of the artist’s practice to date, the exhibition presents key works from the very beginning of her career to the present. The artist has also created a number of new artworks for the exhibition tour including Water + Water (2020), a large paperwork created using natural elements of fire and water; and Untitled (2020), an installation comprising small sculptures individually created by the artist by hand-pouring molten bronze. In addition, a further eight works have been selected specifically by the artist for John Curtin Gallery, making this exhibition a unique iteration of this touring program.
Lindy Lee’s work is especially pertinent today, as society is challenged by the extent of the climate crisis, the impact of the global pandemic, the rise of populist policies that foster racism and the Black Lives Matter movement. Her work is essentially concerned with the direct and intimate connection between all life. Humanity and nature are woven together into the fabric of the cosmos and can never be separated.
Header Image: Lindy Lee, 2020, process image. Photo by Jean Pierre Chabro
