Lindy Lee

Lindy Lee (born 1954) is an Australian painter and sculptor of Chinese heritage, whose work blends the cultures of Australia and her ancestral China and explores her Buddhist faith. She has exhibited widely, and is particularly known for her large works of public art, such as several iterations of The Life of Stars at various locations in China and on the forecourt of the Art Gallery of South Australia, and The Garden of Cloud and Stone in Sydney's Chinatown district.

Early life and education Lee was born in 1954 in Brisbane, Queensland, the daughter of Chinese immigrants who left Guangdong province Her father arrived first, in 1949, and her mother and siblings, came afterwards, in 1953. Lee's experiences with racism as a child in Australia coupled with her experience of feeling alienated when visiting China because of her inability to speak in the Chinese language contributed to her interest in melding the cultures in her work. She attended the Chelsea School of Art in London, She also reflects Taoist themes, including the interconnectedness of the universe and of nature and humanity.

Works Lee's most prominent public works include several iterations of The Life of Stars at various locations in China and in Adelaide, South Australia, and The Garden of Cloud and Stone in Sydney's Chinatown district.

The Life of Stars

In 2014, Lee was commissioned by Ting Hsin International Group in Shanghai to create a public art work, at which time she first started working with Urban Art Projects (UAP) in Brisbane, using bronze. After experimenting with a technique inspired by Buddhist spiritual practice which focused on oneness with nature, UAP collaborated with her to create the mirror polished stainless steel, egg-shaped sculpture, The Life of Stars for the commission. The numerous piercings in the steel were arranged in overlapping concentric circles, representing "earth, life, birth and renewal" that is found in Tao and Buddhist principles,

Several more versions of The Life of Stars now exist: in Shanghai; at the Province Midtown Cultural Centre while simultaneously radiating light. Over 30,000 holes were individually placed by Lee to resemble a map of our galaxy when lit from within. The sculpture was bought for AU$550,000 by the gallery to honour the departing director Nick Mitzevich in April 2018.

Ouroboros

In September 2021 the National Gallery of Australia (NGA) under director Nick Mitzevich commissioned an immersive high sculpture based on the ouroboros (an ancient symbol depicting a snake eating its own tail), to be placed near its main entrance of the gallery. Unveiled in October 2024, at 14 million dollars the sculpture is the NGA's most expensive commission to date.

Two art critics criticised the purchase in 2021: John McDonald of The Sydney Morning Herald thought that the money could have been better spent filling some significant gaps in its collection, while Christopher Allen concurred, and thought that it merely "offer a passive experience to audiences who are unwilling or unable to engage more actively with works of art".

Many later reviews of the sculpture did not emphasise the cost but reviewed it positively as "one of Australia’s first sustainable works of public art" and "local First Nations knowledge has been respected and incorporated into Ouroboros‘ installation on Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country". Other reviewers called it a "dazzling new public sculpture" and said "In Ouroboros, we have gained an enduring and accessible addition to a shared public space, a monument to the values of creativity and collaboration that deserve to be championed"

Other roles

She has served on the boards of Artspace Visual Arts Centre and the Australian Centre for Photography, and was president of the Asian Australian Artists Association as well as deputy chair of the Visual Arts and Crafts Fund of the Australia Council

Recognition Considered one of the foremost contemporary artists in the country, Lee has been commissioned to create several pieces of public art, such as Cloud Gate in Sydney's Chinatown district around 2013, consisting of cloud shapes made of brass inlaid into the footpath. Valued at approximately , the artwork was mistakenly covered during construction of the Sydney Light Rail network in 2018, but was scheduled to be repaired.

Lee is also widely known internationally, having exhibited in Canada, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore.

Tony Costa's oil painting of Lee won the Archibald Prize for portraiture in 2019. He said that he had been "attracted to her wisdom, humility, courage, humour and, above all, her deep focus regarding her art practice".

Elizabeth Ann Macgregor, curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA), commented in 2021: Lee was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in the 2024 Australia Day Honours for "distinguished service to contemporary visual arts as a sculptor and painter, and to arts administration through leadership roles".

Exhibitions Lee started exhibiting her work in the 1980s.

In 2014, the University of Queensland Art Museum mounted a survey of her work to date.

From 2 October 2020 until 28 February 2021, Lindy Lee: Moon in a Dew Drop, the largest ever solo exhibition of Lee's work, was mounted at the MCA in Sydney, curated by Elizabeth Ann Macgregor. The exhibition features more than 70 artworks, including a number of new works specially commissioned for the MCA. finishing on 24 July 2022.

Personal life Lee was married to photographer Robert Scott-Mitchell (1954-2021), whose portrait of her won the National Photographic Portrait Prize in 2007. They lived in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales from 2014 until his death from cancer in June 2021.

Lee has long been a practising Buddhist, which infuses both her life and her work.