Over four decades, Lindy Lee has established herself as one of Australia’s most influential and respected contemporary artists with a practice that explores her Chinese heritage through the philosophies of Taoism and Buddhism - principles which emphasise humanity’s intimate and inextricable relationship to nature. Her work investigates the interdependence between spirit and matter, often employing elements of chance to produce works that embody this intimate connection with the cosmos. Over the last decade the artist’s practice has extended into the public realm, with the development of large-scale sculptural works that create sublime spaces of belonging and community.
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Over four decades, Lindy Lee has established herself as one of Australia’s most influential and respected contemporary artists with a practice that explores her Chinese heritage through the philosophies of Taoism and Buddhism - principles which emphasise humanity’s intimate and inextricable relationship to nature. Her work investigates the interdependence between spirit and matter, often employing elements of chance to produce works that embody this profound connection with the cosmos.
Lee has received widespread national and international recognition for her multi-disciplinary artistic practice, having exhibited in over 150 exhibitions in Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and the USA. In 2020-2021, the artist was the subject of a major survey exhibition, Lindy Lee: Moon in a Dew Drop, at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. Receiving widespread popular and critical acclaim, the solo exhibition was one of the most visited shows in the Museum’s history.
The artist’s work has been widely collected in Australia and internationally and is represented in numerous major public and private collections, including the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra; Art Gallery of New South Wales; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; Art Gallery of South Australia; Adelaide; Queensland Art Gallery + Gallery of Modern Art; Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth; Museum of Brisbane; Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney; Museum of Art and Culture, Lake Macquarie, NSW; Newcastle Art Gallery, NSW; Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre, NSW; Wollongong Art Gallery, NSW; Geelong Gallery, VIC, University of Melbourne – Ian Potter Museum of Art; Griffith University Art Museum, Brisbane; Artbank, Sydney; The Westfarmers Collection, Allen Allen & Hemsley Collection and private collections around the world.
Over the last decade the artist’s practice has extended into the public realm, with the development of large-scale sculptural works that create sublime spaces of belonging in Australia and abroad. Vault of Heaven, Seeds of Cosmos (2020), in Sydney, won the Property Council of Australia’s Innovation & Excellence Award for Best Public Art Project (2022) and The Garden of Cloud and Stone won the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects Award for Civic Excellence. Other notable works include Eye of Infinity (2022), Hong Kong, Secret World of a Starlight Ember, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia; Life of Stars, Art Gallery of South Australia; The Garden of Cloud and Stone, Chinatown, Sydney; and Life of Stars: Tenderness of Rain, Zheng Zhou Cultural Centre, China.
Commissioned to celebrate the National Gallery’s 40th anniversary in 2022, Lee’s first immersive public sculpture, Ouroboros, is currently at the installation stage and is to be officially opened at The National Gallery’s Grand Gala in October 2024. Visitors will be able to enter the ‘mouth of the sculpture at the entrance of the gallery and experience darkness that is illuminated by light beams emanating from the hundreds of perforations on its surface. During the day its polished mirror surface will reflect the imagery of the ‘floating world’ passing it by. Lit from within, at night the Ouroboros will return its light to the external world.
Furthermore, Lindy Lee has made a significant contribution to the development of contemporary art in Australia through ongoing leadership in the cultural sector as an academic, board member, cultural advocate, educator, founder, and mentor. Lee’s far-reaching influence and dedication to the art community was officially acknowledged in 2024 when she was appointed Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for her ‘distinguished service to contemporary visual as a sculptor and painter, and to arts administration through leadership roles.’
Sullivan+Strumpf acknowledge the Indigenous People of this land, the traditional custodians on whose Country we work, live and learn. We pay respect to Elders, past and present, and recognise their continued connection to culture, land, waters and community.