Following LEE Kuang-Yu’s solo exhibition at the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts in 2011, he decided to take a temporary break from the clamor of mainstream contemporary art to head to the mountains, seeking to    rediscover the connection between creativity and consciousness. Three years later, LEE Kuang-Yu is holding  “Mountain‧Empiness – LEE Kuang-Yu Solo Exhibition 2014” at the Chini Gallery. Starting over again with 25  completely new pieces, he is declaring a new way of artistic thinking in his personal creations. With the title  “Mountain‧Empiness”  LEE is expressing his understanding of the Buddhist concept that emptiness and existence  are not necessarily antithetical. “Mountain‧Empiness” is LEE’s comprehension of “the non-duality of emptiness and  form”. Absorbed the natural environment of the mountains, he reflected upon the juncture between inspiration and  sublimation. With an ascetic attitude, he pondered on all walks of humanity, reaching the most profound revelations  about life itself,  and the hope that everyone will face the complexity of the world having eliminated craving, allowing  them to advance to a deeper understanding of life. In this exhibition, the visitor can explore how LEE Kuang-Yu has  enacted an “unlimited” redefinition of his work and the themes explored therein, while experiencing the quality and  themes of the art which he is able to create in any circumstance.

In terms of the development history of Taiwanese sculpture, the language of LEE Kuang-Yu’s creations cross cultural and historical boundaries, representing a cultural marker in which traditional Buddhist and Daoist thought intertwines with modernism. His works represent a core example of the “non-historical”, creating a unique language with his incomparable skill, style and materials which in turn embodies the complex nature of Taiwanese art. It is also an expression of the foundation of native Taiwanese culture.  In this exhibition, LEE makes use of varied collages and installations, expressing the confrontational potential of his work in every break, crush and bend of his material, thereby narrating the transition and evolution of his work from ‘the material body’ to the metaphysical ‘powerful body’. These new works reveal an increasing sense of grace, representing the freedom and relaxation afforded to the artist once they have detached from the self, reflecting in turn the artist’s new understanding of humanity. With these insightful academic explorations, this exhibition hopes to be able to guide more art-lovers towards an understanding of “Mountain‧Empiness” and the exhibition’s meditative philosophy, along with a deeper understanding and experience of life itself.