Li Chen’s major outdoor sculpture exhibition at Place Vendôme in Paris is officially open to the public on September 3rd, 2013. The initiative of this exhibition was taken by an Eastern artist in the hope of promoting Eastern and Western cultural exchange. Place Vendôme – the treasure trove of Paris, has been one of the most important historical landmarks across the Eurasian continent since it was laid out by the order Louis XIV. Although we live in an era of globalization, where high-tech products are able to facilitate unprecedented level of international communication, yet they seem to be utilized only to the extent of cooperation and networking inside a confined capitalist system; while on the subject of humanities, establishing a platform for cultural exchange concerning our spiritual development has been neglected. The significance of Li Chen’s exhibition does not only lie in Li Chen’s art being recognized by international audience, but also a milestone in history. With the desire of bringing “Spirit of the East” to Western world, Li Chen has stepped onto the world stage and made known the profound Chinese culture that nourishes his artworks. The pride of Chinese art, Li Chen, is expected to host a touring exhibition in Europe, with Italy and Germany exhibition on progress. Li Chen’s art has officially entered the Western scene by making itself an “International exhibition”.
This outdoor sculpture exhibition is a cross cultural collaboration between Paris, the Netherlands, Italy, Taipei, and Beijing for a period of 18 months, overcoming obstacles such as transportation and lifting of monumental sculptures, structural difficulties, wind-resistance, and loading capacity calculation. Exhibited works include: “Pure Land”, “Clear Soul”, “Landscape in Heaven”, “Soothing Breezes Floating Clouds”, “Angelic Smile”, “The Pursuer”, “Flickering Moonlight”, “Dragon-Riding Buddha”, “Floating Heavenly Palace”, “Lord of Wind”, “Lord of Fire”, and the largest 9-meter tall “Float to Sukhavati”.
