Introducing the Life Outside issue of Habitus magazine. With life increasingly being absorbed into a digital space, there is never a more important moment to hold something tangible. In this context, the power of nature to have a physiological impact on our sense of wellbeing has never been more important. So how can we cultivate the benefits of the our natural environment in the most intimate of places – our homes? This was the question that helped to bring this issue of Habitus to life.
Explorations in personal philosophy with Lindy Lee
Lindy Lee’s latest exhibition presents an opportunity to experience this artist’s work in a more intimate gallery setting.
The latest show Lindy Lee: A tree more ancient than the forest it stands shows the artist’s new works, including sculptural forms in steel, bronze and wood, in addition to works on paper.
Exploring connections between humanity, nature, and the cosmos; her process forges an intimate collaboration with the elemental materials of fire, water, metal and wood. Her diverse works translate personal experience to the universal with references to Daoism and Ch’an (Zen) Buddhism philosophies.
Lindy Lee, A tree more ancient than the forest it stands in, at Sullivan+Strumpf Sydney, May 2023. Image courtesy the artist and Sullivan+Strumpf
In a career spanning more than 40 years, Lee has been shown in over 150 exhibitions around Australia and internationally; and created more than 40 public artworks and large-scale sculptural commissions including in 2024, the artist’s immersive public sculpture, Ouroboros, which will open at the National Gallery of Australia and will be the largest commission in the Gallery’s history.
Since the early 1980s, Lindy Lee has explored ideas around connection, family, history, time and personal identity through multi-disciplinary works that draw on her Australian and Chinese heritage. Over the last decade Lee’s extensive practice has moved into the public realm creating spaces of belonging and community.
Closely connected with Australia’s contemporary art community, Lee was a founding member of 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art in Sydney and has held prominent leadership roles in cultural organisations including President of the Asian Australian Artists Association, Deputy Chair of the Visual Arts and Craft Fund, Australia Council, Trustee of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and a board member of Artspace, Sydney and the Australian Centre of Photography, Sydney..
Lindy Lee. Photographer Roger de SouzaLindy Lee, A tree more ancient than the forest it stands in, at Sullivan+Strumpf Sydney, May 2023. Image courtesy the artist and Sullivan+StrumpfLindy Lee, A tree more ancient than the forest it stands in, at Sullivan+Strumpf Sydney, May 2023. Image courtesy the artist and Sullivan+StrumpfLindy Lee, A tree more ancient than the forest it stands in, at Sullivan+Strumpf Sydney, May 2023. Image courtesy the artist and Sullivan+StrumpfLindy Lee, A Single Thread of Fire, 2023, Red Gum, fire, 289 x 33 x 7.5 cm. Image courtesy the artist and Sullivan+Strumpf. Photo, Mark PokornyLindy Lee, elixir, 2020-21, Chinese ink, fire and rain on paper, 200 x 140 cm. Image courtesy the artist and Sullivan+Strumpf. Photo, Mark PokornyLindy Lee, fluctuations in the abyss, 2022, flung bronze, 300 cm diameter. Image courtesy the artist and Sullivan+StrumpfLindy Lee, Journey of 1000 Moons, 2021, fire, raw steel, 200 x 100 cm (Detail 1). Image courtesy the artist and Sullivan+Strumpf. Photo, Mark PokornyLindy Lee, Like Dew and Lightning, 2023, fire, stainless steel, 150 cm diameter. Image courtesy the artist and Sullivan+Strumpf. Photo, Mark PokornyLindy Lee, Rapture, 2021, fire, stainless steel, 200 x 100 cm. Image courtesy the artist and Sullivan+Strumpf. Photo, Mark PokornyLindy Lee, Scattered reverie, 2023, fire, stainless steel, 150 cm. Image courtesy the artist and Sullivan+Strumpf. Photo, Mark PokornyLindy Lee, Scattering, 2022, Red Gum, acrylic paint, 125 x 30 cm. Image courtesy the artist and Sullivan+Strumpf. Photo, Aaron AndersonLindy Lee, The Birth of Fire, 2022, Red Gum, fire, 40 x 80 cm. Image courtesy the artist and Sullivan+Strumpf. Photo, Aaron AndersonLindy Lee, The Split that gave Birth to the Sky, 2022, Red Gum, acrylic paint, 25 x 100 cm. Image courtesy the artist and Sullivan+Strumpf. Photo, Aaron Anderson
Gillian Serisier is an editor-at-large for Indesign Media Asia Pacific, where she covers all corners of design and art across the Habitus and Indesign network. Gillian has contributed to many outstanding publications, and her extensive knowledge and sharp words make for compelling storytelling.
Introducing the Life Outside issue of Habitus magazine. With life increasingly being absorbed into a digital space, there is never a more important moment to hold something tangible. In this context, the power of nature to have a physiological impact on our sense of wellbeing has never been more important. So how can we cultivate the benefits of the our natural environment in the most intimate of places – our homes? This was the question that helped to bring this issue of Habitus to life.
