53. Biennale di Venezia

Lee Sun-Don

• biographical notes
• curriculum
• Time's Equal Sign
• opening party

Art Director's AdviceParere della Direzione Artistica
Galleria d'Arte III Millennio

Lee Sun-Don was born in 1959 in Kaosiung Island Taiwan. He is fifty but doesn't look it. He seems to keep the sincerity of a child who can do everything and what he does not still do is due to he still does not find the way to do it.

This artist is rich of different interests. He studied mathematics and also music, in particular he is a pianist. He devotes himself to writing, in particular he writes Novels about Zen Martial Arts. He is a scientific essayist, he has a great interest for origin of universe. He is philantrope, in fact he saves some of his profits to humanitarian aims.

In 1989 he joined the buddhist philosophy. This was a very important turning point into the life of Lee Sun-Don. We can also say that the artist Lee Sun-Don born exactly in 1989 fed from the lifely nourishment of Buddhism. He really sought comfort in this charming philosophy following advices of Master Yuan-Dao Bodhisattva. The Master Yuan-Dao authorized him as the third Dharma Heir of Buddhist Forshang. Than he estabilished the Forshang Buddhism World Center including the primary lecture hall in Taipei and several branches in southern and central Taiwan Japan and USA.

In 2006 Lee Sun-Don madehis debut as painter exhibiting his works. I would like to speak about these works.

Looking at these works you can immediately grasp the eastern origins. Stroke, shade, depictions are undoubtedly eastern. The chinese painting has very ancient origins. It was born in Zhou age over than thousand years ago before Christ.

Lee Sun-Don grasps different aspects of the chinese history of art. He refers to the Hang Dinasty of Zhou age 1000 B.C.; in particular he refers to the contact of Zhou Dinasty with the Kings Shang Dinasty. The first totemic representations were created at that time. Lee Sun-Don puts at the centre of his painting really the totemic images. Then he recalls the Tang Dinasty from 600/1000 after Christ, when there was a great flourishing of arts. The paintings of the Dunhuang caves were created at that time. All the calligraphic inscriptions that enrich the canvas are inspired from the Dunhuang caves. As in the past the inscriptions have a decorative function but not only.

Here we have the theme of Buddha. In chinese art history it is an overtone of indian origins from the IV century after Christ. Buddha is the fundamental principle and the way itself of Lee Sun-Don's painting. Then, if the language is deep-rooted into tradition of chinese painting, the message is joined to the indian philosophy of Buddha. Here This is why the calligraphic inscriptions have not only a decorative function but also they are the medium to trasmit the Buddha's message.

This is the crux of the matter analysing the painting of Lee Sun-Don.

This kind of painting is the result of different contaminations: different chinese arts and foreign influences from the religious indian iconography; but not only. The artist declares that with his painting wants to act as a go-between for eastern and western; in fact a lot of art critics consider his works very similar to the western contemporary and modern art; but maybe a detail was lost. Lee Sun-Don declares that this go-between is based on the oil technique.

The traditional chinese painting is based on: brush, black india ink, tempera colours and paper!

So the Lee Sun-Don's aim is not to pay omage or to comply to the weastern art; maybe Lee Sun-Don is not here to imitate weastern art or to give to the weastern critic the cue to follow the manner of speaking well of eastern.

Maybe Lee Sun-Don is here to tell us about one of the many aspects of eastern culture, in particular the one of the millenary culture of figurative art. He does not reject the chinese traditions of art, in fact he interiorizes them! He uses the oil technique tipical from the western past art to pay omage and love to the western culture and art. Then his omage and love is not exactly dedicated to the contemporary art but to the modern art!

The contemporary western art has nothing to do with the Lee Sun-Don's canvas. He at first joins different aspetcs of chinese art; then transmits the Buddha's message; then uses the oil thecnique on canvas. All of this does not make Lee Sun-Don a western artist but it still confirms the eastern characteristic. In fact, the contamination Lee Sun-Don presents with great refinement expresses the principle of harmonic balance! An extremely chinese idea.

It means that art is the result of influence of traditions and innovations, autochthon and foreing ideas, religious and profane symbols. Lee Sun-Don is an eastern artist, is an artist of eastern sort and he deals with art with eastern spirit and intent.

He was right who compared Lee Sun-Don to Pablo Picasso. Infact into his canvas there is nothing from contemporary western art. Maybe we can say that a great part of european modern art from the second half of XIX century was charmed from eastern myths and legends. A lot of european artists were inspired from indian and asiatic cultures. A lot of them had to escape physically or spiritually into far worlds set into exotic island or forest. A lot of european artists were inspired from eastern ideograms to create theirs abstract canvas!

Paintings of Lee Sun-Don has no western suggestion. Instead I see a lot of eastern into canvas of european modern artists as in those of Mario Eremita, one of the few artists who represents the real beautiful painting in this continent.

The sort of Lee Sun-Don's painting is symbolist and apotropaic. The aim to transmit the message of Buddha calls for the artist to use metaphor and symbol. These are ancient instruments to say simply the religious and philosphic principles. The buddhist philosophy has a lot of apotropaic symbols and the artist put them into every single painting. So, this art spreads in the rich tradition of buddhist and chinese iconographical inventory. And it joins religious symbols to heathen ones.

The butterfly Zhuangzi dreams to be, it recalls the sympathetic spirit which likes to identify with the others. It is a process that generates harmony and get out afflictions.

The figures with musical instruments got from the Mogao's caves in Dunhuang. Everyone has an allegoric meaning and they are useful for the walk to illumination.

The faith for wonder. The art of wondering is a rare thing in western land so much shrewd and disenchanted to be not able to see anything and to abase itself into an art made of empty politic ideologies.

The symbol of phoenix; it has not buddhist origin but here the artist takes it thanks to the harmonic balance principle. The phoenix in fact is a heathen symbol from Egypt and Greece that the ancient chinese imperial families take as symbol. Lee Sun-Don paints it to show the principle of splendour of spirit when it is author of his fate.

The carp is heathen symbol of good wish. The carp while is jumping is the symbol of getting through one's own edges; an example of illumination.

The Guan Zi Zai Bodhisattva; the white color means the getting through the sense of sight. The symbol of cirlce as example of perfection and continuity in space and time. It is joined to the message of buddhist faith.

Into the Great Awakening series it seems to grasp some references to conceptual art but we are wrong. In fact while the conceptual art is an end in itself, here we have some signs that mean a deep language and a message from a great and ancient culture.

Well then the sculpture of the dragon; it is one of the most important symbols of chinese art and traditions. It means good luck and kindness.