Art, Identity, and the Monumental Ouroboros with Lindy Lee
A fine crowd of local artists, academics and arts-lovers turned out on a balmy Friday afternoon for the highly anticipated R|Talks In Conversation event with Lindy Lee AO. Facilitated by curator and longtime friend, Liz Chang, Lindy shared stories from her extraordinary career, from her early photocopy works and her experimentation with flung ink, to her public art works and relationship with Urban Art Projects, culminating in her most ambitious project yet, Ouroboros, the monumental public artwork commissioned by the National Gallery of Australia for its 40th anniversary.
Following a warm welcome by Aunty Helena Gulash, The Refinery’s Elder-in-Residence, Lindy reflected on her life and career, taking audiences on a journey through her earliest influences, childhood memories, studies in Canada and London, parental influences, life lessons and her search for belonging. With 40 years of artistic practice to date and many more projects ahead of her, Lindy noted her career is more accurately described as a 70-year process of inquiry.
Her work has explored themes of identity, ancestry, and philosophy, drawing from her Chinese heritage and the teachings of Taoism and Zen Buddhism. Liz and Lindy’s connection allowed for humour and deep reflections on creative practice and life philosophy to flow easily and the audience felt as though they were eavesdropping on a deeply personal and candid chat between friends. Lindy expressed a quiet pride in the creation of Ouroboros, a project that took four years, 60,000 hours of work by 200 skilled artisans, and an epic journey across three states to transport the 13-tonne, $14 million sculpture to the nation’s capital.
Expanding into works of scale requires a team of collaborators and Lindy’s respect for every person in the process was made very clear, as she shared stories of admiration for transport crew, welders and engineers who help make her vision a reality. Reflecting on her latest creation, Lindy shared her approach to ambitious work: "You need to sail into the storm and work with it."
After the talk, attendees were invited to gather at the UniSC Art Gallery. The lively hum of inspired conversation filled the space as guests unpacked and reflected on the thought-provoking ideas shared during the talk.
This is the essence of R|Talks – SCCA’s program designed to bring leading artists from outside our region into conversation, offering fresh perspectives and showcasing diverse practices to our creative community whilst providing a space for creative peers and industry professionals to connect and exchange ideas.
Photos by Jamie Davidson.
R|Talks It’s a series of facilitated conversations with leading artists from outside the region, designed to broaden the community’s awareness of diverse practices and offer a chance for peers and industry professionals to connect. Delivered by SCCA as part of The Refinery in partnership with the Creative Ecologies Research Cluster at UniSC. Supported by Major partners: the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, Sunshine Coast Council through the Arts and Heritage Levy,
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