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One Bright Pearl

One Bright Pearl by Lindy Lee

About the work

Title: One Bright Pearl, 2021 edition 2/5
Artist: Lindy Lee
Material: mirrored polished 316 stainless steel
Location: Blackburn Gardens, Double Bay

'One Bright Pearl is inspired by the ancient Chinese story of the Dragon’s Ball, which is a symbol of universal wholeness, well-being, wisdom and spiritual power. During the day, the sculpture’s surface, with its mirror brightness, absorbs and reflects the fleeting and ever-changing pageantry of the surrounding world: the movements of people, sky, landscape, birds etc. At night, the work will be internally lit to allow light to flow back out into the world. The sculpture’s different changing daytime and night time qualities embodies the cyclical nature of time.' - Lindy Lee, 2021

'Migration and its connected experiences – loss, displacement, belonging, new beginnings and cross-pollination – resonate with many artists. The themes intersect personal narrative, social change and history of place. This commission acknowledges migration to the local area over the last 100 years - a period that encompassed great change to both the demographics and landforms of Woollahra. Today, more than a third of residents were born overseas, reflecting trends evident across Greater Sydney.

'Lindy Lee’s Australian and Chinese heritage strongly influences her work. Growing up as an Asian Australian, she has said that the White Australia policy was at the heart of her work. This openly racist policy was in place for 65 years, with multiculturalism finally becoming a welcome concept under Whitlam in the mid-1970s. Lee’s practice acknowledges this cultural shift. One Bright Pearl however, transcends even the concepts of ‘us and them’. Its reflective surface is ever-changing and embodies the interconnectedness intrinsic to the Buddhist philosophy that underpins Lee’s work and life.' - Curator Holly Williams, 2022

One Bright Pearl by Lindy Lee was commissioned by Woollahra Council’s Public Art Panel, to reflect on new beginnings and the contribution of modern migration to the local area. Many local residents participated by donating funds to the commission.

Principal Donor

The Carla Zampatti Foundation

Commission Donors

Jillian Broadbent AC & Rahn family
David Gonski AC & Orli Wargon OAM
Elizabeth & Walter Lewin
Scott Perkins
Vanessa Tay
Suzy & Phillip Wolanski AM on behalf of
The Wolanski Foundation
Anonymous

Woollahra Council thanks our donors for their generous support.

About the artist

Lindy Lee is one of the most respected contemporary artists working in Australia today. Her practice explores both her Australian heritage, and her Chinese ancestry through Taoism and Ch’an (Zen) Buddhism, philosophies that see humanity and nature as inextricably linked. She employs chance and spontaneity to produce a galaxy of images that embody the intimate connections between human existence and the cosmos. Her works are deeply meditative, often revealing themselves through time.

In recent years, Lee has created significant public artworks: The Life of Stars, The Art Gallery of South Australia;Tower of Ten Billion Stars, Sanya Bay Hainan Island, China; The Life of Stars – Tenderness of Rain, Province Midtown Cultural Centre, Zhengzhou, China; and Secret World of a Starlight Ember, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney. In 2021 the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, announced a new immersive sculpture garden commission, Ouroboros. Constructed from mirror polished stainless steel, around four metres high and weighing approximately 13 tonnes, Ouroboros will be the biggest investment in a work by the National Gallery. Other recent significant commissions include the Queens Wharf in Brisbane.