LINDY LEE
MOON IN A DEW DROP
3 JUNE–28 AUGUST 2022
Almost all my life I’ve been preoccupied with the nature of ‘self’ in the world. For me it has to do with being a divided self — Chinese and Australian — and the feeling of being neither this nor that but both. LINDY LEE
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 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. Time passing is a major theme throughout this exhibition.
From left
Lindy Lee in her studio, Sydney, 2014, image courtesy the artist, Sullivan+Strumpf, Sydney and Singapore and Sutton Gallery, Melbourne, photograph: Lee Nutter
Lindy Lee, Traversing the Nine Sections of the World, 2015, from The Tyranny and Liberation of Distance, UV-cured pigment inkjet print, black mild steel, fire, 109 × 118 cm. Image courtesy the artist and Sutton Gallery, Melbourne.
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. It includes early works inspired by European painters, a series on her family history, and paintings and installations which reference her study of Zen Buddhism. The artist has created a number of new artworks for the exhibition tour including Water + Water (2020), a large paper work created using natural elements of fire and water; and Untitled (2020), an installation comprising of 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.
Lindy Lee: Moon in a Dew Drop is organised and toured by the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. The project has been assisted by the Australian Government’s Visions of Australia program.