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Updated Friday, March 20, 2009 11:28 am TWN, By Susan Swier, The China Post

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Lee Tsai Chien's descriptive geometry debuts

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- “Iron Filings and Dirt Sculpture” is the title of Lee Tsai Chien's new solo exhibition at Main Trend Gallery, but as Master Lee reminded me while I perused a list of his works, the names are only names, not the true essence of the work. This exhibition overlaps another display of Master Lee's work at Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts, Between Philosophy and Poetry, which lasts until March 31.

The outdoor Kuandu exhibit contains massive versions of the sculptures, whereas the Main Trend exhibit has some of the same pieces scaled down to fit an indoor environment. For instance, one piece (“Home Run”) could easily fit on a tabletop, while the one in Kuandu is large enough that children can play on it, as Master Lee says he envisions them doing.

When asked what length of time these pieces span, Master Lee said that most of the geometric pieces were done in the 1980s, but that the collection contains a wide variety of pieces created over the past 30 years. With a slight smile, he says the steel-cast geometric sculptures can be quite costly, and that with the recent economic recession, he has taken to using simpler materials, such as with one unique piece constructed out of rusty car parts (“As if alive”). Master Lee said this piece calls to memory the ancient Buddhist towers in China that hold the bones of Buddha's disciples.

The influence of Buddhism and Taoism appears in his work in many ways, such as the prevalence of Yin/Yang imagery and an emphasis on the circle. He also holds a fascination with Euclidean geometry, as can be seen in other pieces such as “The 60 Degree Balance” and “5 3/4 Circles.”

Master Lee has traveled abroad extensively, spending years studying Buddhism in China and numerous trips to study trends in abstract and minimalist art in Western culture.

He combines all he has learned of philosophy, poetry and mathematics into his work, incorporating them into his own style. While this exhibit should give viewers a hint of that style, Master Lee says that his work is very complicated and no single exhibit can fully represent all facets of his technique.

Lee Tsai Chien's Solo Exhibition / Through April 25 / Main Trend Gallery, No. 209-1 Chengde Rd., Sec. 3, Taipei City / (2) 2587-3412 / http://www.maintrendgallery.com.tw/

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