Lee Shi-min
Encyclopedia
Lee Shi-min is a Chinese contemporary artist.
He uses the term digitalism
for digital
pointillism
using digits or fingers as the applied points, as opposed to the cultural movement that began in the 1980s which involved the increasing use of computer technology to produce art works.
His work, which is primarily figurative and usually well-structured, often employs stylized representations of historical or symbolic figures. Critics and peers alike have described Lee Shi-min's works as organic
, intuitive and cerebral and the artist as a "true original" with an affinity for traditional aesthetics, order, balance and symmetry, who defines and refines through a sense of history
.
In August 2006 at a private sale in Hong Kong
, his painting titled Innocence sold for an amount exceeding US$ 1 million, a record for the artist at the time.
He is the founder and creator of Canal Chine, Cheng Chuang (City Window) urban art and Dangdai Dolls: The Great Doll of China (also known as The Great Doll of the People and The Doll of Peace and Harmony) based on his Dangdai character series along with accompanying anthem March of the Dolls
which he has affectionately termed a "dollonaise" after the grand tradition of the polonaise
.
In 2008, he coined the terms organiflage, inorganiflage and grafflage, the former in particular reference to his interlocking puzzle-piece arrangements of animist forms, the latter a contraction of graffiti
and camouflage
. His 2009 written work Graffiti Treaty was intended as an appeasement to city officials and law enforcement in defense of graffiti as an artform with a rich, multi-cultural heritage.
His works have been exhibited in the Americas, Asia
and Europe
and form a part of the collections of major museums, galleries and important collectors.
"I am however fascinated by visual perceptive and synesthetic phenomena, innovative artisan
approaches and techniques, and like to interpret morphologies, in particular similar ones bearing different functions. Art
is essentially an exact or inexact science
of design
; ubiquitous, ever-present and accessible. When my work attains a level of beauty
, it is finished, right and complete. Art gives my life meaning and is the passion and driving force thereof and in. However, one must be selective in realizing works as art ends with life."
"As in any other field, a work which is ideologically strong albeit roughly rendered is infinitely better than a weak one well executed. That being said, I always endeavor to take full advantage of a paint's light-fast, transparent, opaque
and reflective qualities. In order to create an interesting composition
with complex geometry
, I employ a combination of linear and curvi-linear lines to break up the formwork. On another level, elements or layers may be introduced to build up a piece until the canvas is satisfactorily full akin to infrastructural development. Where possible, I follow natural, fluid
, flowing lines. On some occasions I sketch, paint, and dry my work on a flat horizontal surface
so the canvas
becomes steeped in pigment
and the work acquires a certain gravity. The final work is akin to a stage performance, where characters form the content
, and preparatory sketches like rehearsals to weed out weaknesses. In another light, the approach to completion is similar to that of a sensual climax one as the stroke rate typically becomes retarded or markedly decreased for control
. Brush head control including speed
, pressure
and contact angle
, stroke length, direction and follow-through, and the right tools are also important. I visually assess a work, in part, peripherally, similar to discerning a faint twinkling star in the night sky, so as to ensure a strong impression
."
2. "The line between beauty and ugliness is subtle and subjective." (January 2000, New York)
3. "Nothing is better than bad art." (March 2001, Beijing)
4. "An artist should be all mixed up." (September 2004, New York)
5. "Love opens the eye to beauty." (February 2006, Hong Kong)
6. "An imperative of the impressionist-expressionist is recognizable semblance." (August 2008, Beijing)
-- Chinese to English Translation by Chun Bai Xue
Abstractions (2001 - active)
Aquatic (2008)
Architectural Aspirations
Bodies of Water (2004)
Butterfly Lovers (2003-2004)
Complications
Contour
Crazy
Dangdai Dolls: The Great Doll of China
Double
Dynasty
Enigma (2000 - active)
This series includes works bearing messages, meanings or concepts encoded in the painting.
Enu: fom (full-on minimalism) abstract enumerative works.
Feelings
Fishnets
Flagship
Installations
Ju (Opera)
Lacy Lucy
Mask (1998-2001)
Visual plays on forms of Chinese opera masks symbolizing changes in identity and character.
Paper Cuts (2005-2006)
This series of works consists of a number of paintings rendered in the form of traditional Chinese paper-cutting art.
Paradise
Seal
Siheyuan / Hutong
Structures
The Seasons
Typeface
Virtuoso
Wine (2002)
Year of the Monkey
-- Chinese to English Translation by Bai Yi Lan
Hua Koi Tie (2008); tributary painting of the Honourable Donald Tsang
Yam-kuen; oil on canvas.
Hong Kong Equestrian (2008); oil on canvas.
Monkey King Diptych: Parts I and II (2008); oil on canvas.
Painting 911 (2006); oil on canvas; a tribute to the victims of the terrorist attacks on the United States on 11 September, 2001, on the 5th anniversary of the tragedy.
Painting 981 (2006); oil on canvas; a satirical tribute to Puyi, China's last emperor, on the 100th anniversary of his birth.
Paper Cuts (2005-2006); oil on canvas; a series of paintings executed in the style of traditional Chinese paper-cutting art.
Sineyes (2005); oil on canvas; China's changing urban landscape from a denizen's point of view.
Berry Bliss (2005); oil on canvas; a tribute to John Lennon on the 25th anniversary of his untimely death.
Master of the Universe (2005); oil on canvas; a tribute to Albert Einstein on the 50th anniversary of his passing.
Mao Playing Cards (2004); oil on canvas.
Mao X (2004); oil on canvas.
Castro's Cuba (2003); oil on canvas.
Colors Triptych (2003); oil on canvas.
Paranoia Profiles (2003); oil on canvas.
Wine Series (2002); oil on canvas.
Ho Chi Minh Ho (2002); oil on canvas.
Mao State Trooper (2001); oil on canvas.
Nite and Day (2001); oil on canvas.
Mask Series (1998-2001); oil on canvas.
Xiao Long Mao (No Dumpling) (2001); oil on canvas.
Year of the Snake (2001); oil on canvas.
Enigma Series (2000 - active); oil on canvas.
Abstractions: Digital Series (2000); oil on canvas.
Peace, Brother (2000); oil on canvas.
World Peace (2000); oil on canvas.
Zhong Xing (Star of China) (1999); oil on canvas.
Gandhi Salt (1998); oil on canvas; a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on the 50th anniversary of his death.
Nanjing's Mount Fuji (1998); oil on canvas.
The Corner (1998); oil on canvas.
Vanity Room (1997); oil on canvas.
Soul (1997); oil on canvas.
Bargirl (1996); oil on canvas.
Maiden China (1996); oil on canvas.
Innocence (1995); oil on canvas.
Work
Lee Shi-min is a conceptual symbolist-colorist whose primary medium is oil on canvas.He uses the term digitalism
Digitalism
Digitalism may refer to:*Digital philosophy, a direction in philosophy and cosmology advocated by certain mathematicians and theoretical physicists.*Digitalism , a German electronic music group....
for digital
Digital
A digital system is a data technology that uses discrete values. By contrast, non-digital systems use a continuous range of values to represent information...
pointillism
Pointillism
Pointillism is a technique of painting in which small, distinct dots of pure color are applied in patterns to form an image. Georges Seurat developed the technique in 1886, branching from Impressionism. The term Pointillism was first coined by art critics in the late 1880s to ridicule the works...
using digits or fingers as the applied points, as opposed to the cultural movement that began in the 1980s which involved the increasing use of computer technology to produce art works.
His work, which is primarily figurative and usually well-structured, often employs stylized representations of historical or symbolic figures. Critics and peers alike have described Lee Shi-min's works as organic
Organic (model)
Organic describes forms, methods and patterns found in living systems such as the organisation of cells, to populations, communities, and ecosystems.Typically organic models stress the interdependence of the component parts, as well as their differentiation...
, intuitive and cerebral and the artist as a "true original" with an affinity for traditional aesthetics, order, balance and symmetry, who defines and refines through a sense of history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
.
In August 2006 at a private sale in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, his painting titled Innocence sold for an amount exceeding US$ 1 million, a record for the artist at the time.
He is the founder and creator of Canal Chine, Cheng Chuang (City Window) urban art and Dangdai Dolls: The Great Doll of China (also known as The Great Doll of the People and The Doll of Peace and Harmony) based on his Dangdai character series along with accompanying anthem March of the Dolls
March of the Dolls
March of the Dolls is an international anthem written by the noted artist and writer Lee Shi-min with music composed by the same. The composition in D-major is a musical march in 3/4 time which the artist has affectionately termed a "dollonaise" or a slow march-like dance for young women in the...
which he has affectionately termed a "dollonaise" after the grand tradition of the polonaise
Polonaise
The polonaise is a slow dance of Polish origin, in 3/4 time. Its name is French for "Polish."The polonaise had a rhythm quite close to that of the Swedish semiquaver or sixteenth-note polska, and the two dances have a common origin....
.
In 2008, he coined the terms organiflage, inorganiflage and grafflage, the former in particular reference to his interlocking puzzle-piece arrangements of animist forms, the latter a contraction of graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
and camouflage
Camouflage
Camouflage is a method of concealment that allows an otherwise visible animal, military vehicle, or other object to remain unnoticed, by blending with its environment. Examples include a leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier and a leaf-mimic butterfly...
. His 2009 written work Graffiti Treaty was intended as an appeasement to city officials and law enforcement in defense of graffiti as an artform with a rich, multi-cultural heritage.
His works have been exhibited in the Americas, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and form a part of the collections of major museums, galleries and important collectors.
Interpretation
"I endeavor to preserve the cardinal rule of pictures and retain an air of mystery by not expounding excessively on my own work. To do so would defeat the purpose of the artform, and for me the viewer's interpretation is as important if not more so," explained the artist."I am however fascinated by visual perceptive and synesthetic phenomena, innovative artisan
Artisan
An artisan is a skilled manual worker who makes items that may be functional or strictly decorative, including furniture, clothing, jewellery, household items, and tools...
approaches and techniques, and like to interpret morphologies, in particular similar ones bearing different functions. Art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
is essentially an exact or inexact science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
of design
Design
Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
; ubiquitous, ever-present and accessible. When my work attains a level of beauty
Beauty
Beauty is a characteristic of a person, animal, place, object, or idea that provides a perceptual experience of pleasure, meaning, or satisfaction. Beauty is studied as part of aesthetics, sociology, social psychology, and culture...
, it is finished, right and complete. Art gives my life meaning and is the passion and driving force thereof and in. However, one must be selective in realizing works as art ends with life."
Technique
The artist disclosed:"As in any other field, a work which is ideologically strong albeit roughly rendered is infinitely better than a weak one well executed. That being said, I always endeavor to take full advantage of a paint's light-fast, transparent, opaque
Opacity (optics)
Opacity is the measure of impenetrability to electromagnetic or other kinds of radiation, especially visible light. In radiative transfer, it describes the absorption and scattering of radiation in a medium, such as a plasma, dielectric, shielding material, glass, etc...
and reflective qualities. In order to create an interesting composition
Composition (visual arts)
In the visual arts – in particular painting, graphic design, photography and sculpture – composition is the placement or arrangement of visual elements or ingredients in a work of art or a photograph, as distinct from the subject of a work...
with complex geometry
Geometry
Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
, I employ a combination of linear and curvi-linear lines to break up the formwork. On another level, elements or layers may be introduced to build up a piece until the canvas is satisfactorily full akin to infrastructural development. Where possible, I follow natural, fluid
Fluid
In physics, a fluid is a substance that continually deforms under an applied shear stress. Fluids are a subset of the phases of matter and include liquids, gases, plasmas and, to some extent, plastic solids....
, flowing lines. On some occasions I sketch, paint, and dry my work on a flat horizontal surface
Surface
In mathematics, specifically in topology, a surface is a two-dimensional topological manifold. The most familiar examples are those that arise as the boundaries of solid objects in ordinary three-dimensional Euclidean space R3 — for example, the surface of a ball...
so the canvas
Canvas
Canvas is an extremely heavy-duty plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, and other items for which sturdiness is required. It is also popularly used by artists as a painting surface, typically stretched across a wooden frame...
becomes steeped in pigment
Pigment
A pigment is a material that changes the color of reflected or transmitted light as the result of wavelength-selective absorption. This physical process differs from fluorescence, phosphorescence, and other forms of luminescence, in which a material emits light.Many materials selectively absorb...
and the work acquires a certain gravity. The final work is akin to a stage performance, where characters form the content
Content (media and publishing)
In media production and publishing, content is information and experiences that may provide value for an end-user/audience in specific contexts. Content may be delivered via any medium such as the internet, television, and audio CDs, as well as live events such as conferences and stage performances...
, and preparatory sketches like rehearsals to weed out weaknesses. In another light, the approach to completion is similar to that of a sensual climax one as the stroke rate typically becomes retarded or markedly decreased for control
Control
Control is the ability to purposefully direct, or suppress, change.Control can also refer to:-Literature:*Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, "Control" was the head of the Circus, a stand-in for MI-6, in the 1974 British spy novel by John le Carré...
. Brush head control including speed
Speed
In kinematics, the speed of an object is the magnitude of its velocity ; it is thus a scalar quantity. The average speed of an object in an interval of time is the distance traveled by the object divided by the duration of the interval; the instantaneous speed is the limit of the average speed as...
, pressure
Pressure
Pressure is the force per unit area applied in a direction perpendicular to the surface of an object. Gauge pressure is the pressure relative to the local atmospheric or ambient pressure.- Definition :...
and contact angle
Angle
In geometry, an angle is the figure formed by two rays sharing a common endpoint, called the vertex of the angle.Angles are usually presumed to be in a Euclidean plane with the circle taken for standard with regard to direction. In fact, an angle is frequently viewed as a measure of an circular arc...
, stroke length, direction and follow-through, and the right tools are also important. I visually assess a work, in part, peripherally, similar to discerning a faint twinkling star in the night sky, so as to ensure a strong impression
Impression
An impression is the overall effect of something.Impression may also refer to:* Material sciences, an indentation made by the pressure of an object into the surface of another object...
."
Influences
Apart from the great masters, the artist professes to admire, among his contemporaries, the modesty of Chen Danqing, the stoicism of Liu Xiao and the commitment of Zhao Wenyuan. The artist has cited Gauguin, Matisse, Picasso, and Vermeer as among the most important Western artists in shaping his artistic outlook.Quotations
1. "Art is proof nothing in the world is perfect." (January 1997, Beijing)2. "The line between beauty and ugliness is subtle and subjective." (January 2000, New York)
3. "Nothing is better than bad art." (March 2001, Beijing)
4. "An artist should be all mixed up." (September 2004, New York)
5. "Love opens the eye to beauty." (February 2006, Hong Kong)
6. "An imperative of the impressionist-expressionist is recognizable semblance." (August 2008, Beijing)
-- Chinese to English Translation by Chun Bai Xue
Serial Titles and Descriptions
AbacusAbstractions (2001 - active)
Aquatic (2008)
Architectural Aspirations
Bodies of Water (2004)
Butterfly Lovers (2003-2004)
Complications
Contour
Crazy
Dangdai Dolls: The Great Doll of China
Double
Dynasty
Enigma (2000 - active)
This series includes works bearing messages, meanings or concepts encoded in the painting.
Enu: fom (full-on minimalism) abstract enumerative works.
Feelings
Fishnets
Flagship
Installations
Ju (Opera)
Lacy Lucy
Mask (1998-2001)
Visual plays on forms of Chinese opera masks symbolizing changes in identity and character.
Paper Cuts (2005-2006)
This series of works consists of a number of paintings rendered in the form of traditional Chinese paper-cutting art.
Paradise
Seal
Siheyuan / Hutong
Structures
The Seasons
Typeface
Virtuoso
Wine (2002)
Year of the Monkey
-- Chinese to English Translation by Bai Yi Lan
Selection of Recent Works
Dangdai Dolls: The Great Doll of China character series (2008~ ).Hua Koi Tie (2008); tributary painting of the Honourable Donald Tsang
Donald Tsang
Sir Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, GBM, KBE is the current Chief Executive and President of the Executive Council of the Government of Hong Kong....
Yam-kuen; oil on canvas.
Hong Kong Equestrian (2008); oil on canvas.
Monkey King Diptych: Parts I and II (2008); oil on canvas.
Painting 911 (2006); oil on canvas; a tribute to the victims of the terrorist attacks on the United States on 11 September, 2001, on the 5th anniversary of the tragedy.
Painting 981 (2006); oil on canvas; a satirical tribute to Puyi, China's last emperor, on the 100th anniversary of his birth.
Paper Cuts (2005-2006); oil on canvas; a series of paintings executed in the style of traditional Chinese paper-cutting art.
Sineyes (2005); oil on canvas; China's changing urban landscape from a denizen's point of view.
Berry Bliss (2005); oil on canvas; a tribute to John Lennon on the 25th anniversary of his untimely death.
Master of the Universe (2005); oil on canvas; a tribute to Albert Einstein on the 50th anniversary of his passing.
Mao Playing Cards (2004); oil on canvas.
Mao X (2004); oil on canvas.
Castro's Cuba (2003); oil on canvas.
Colors Triptych (2003); oil on canvas.
Paranoia Profiles (2003); oil on canvas.
Wine Series (2002); oil on canvas.
Ho Chi Minh Ho (2002); oil on canvas.
Mao State Trooper (2001); oil on canvas.
Nite and Day (2001); oil on canvas.
Mask Series (1998-2001); oil on canvas.
Xiao Long Mao (No Dumpling) (2001); oil on canvas.
Year of the Snake (2001); oil on canvas.
Enigma Series (2000 - active); oil on canvas.
Abstractions: Digital Series (2000); oil on canvas.
Peace, Brother (2000); oil on canvas.
World Peace (2000); oil on canvas.
Selection of Early Works
The Lost Empresses (1999); oil on canvas; a statement on the demographic consequence of China's one-child policy.Zhong Xing (Star of China) (1999); oil on canvas.
Gandhi Salt (1998); oil on canvas; a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on the 50th anniversary of his death.
Nanjing's Mount Fuji (1998); oil on canvas.
The Corner (1998); oil on canvas.
Vanity Room (1997); oil on canvas.
Soul (1997); oil on canvas.
Bargirl (1996); oil on canvas.
Maiden China (1996); oil on canvas.
Innocence (1995); oil on canvas.