Bronze sculpture

100 × 26 × 27 cm. 39 3/8 x 10 1/4 x 10 5/8 in.

Signed in Chinese and pinyin, numbered in the middle of the backside

LITERATURE
Dec 2015, People’s Art, People’s Daily, Beijing, p.79
May 2016, Civil Aviation of China, Civil Aviation Administration of China, Beijing, p.125
2018, Chen Jinqing Sculpture Works, Free Fun Art Museum, Xi’an, p.105
Edition: 4/8

EXHIBITED (different edition)
22 – 25 Jan 2015, Serve the People Solo Exhibition, Yang Gallery, Singapore
6 Mar – 13 Apr 2018, Innocence and Enlightenment: Chen Jinqing Sculpture Works Exhibition, Cofco Plaza, Beijing

PROVENANCE
Important Private Collection, Asia

Note: The work is present as a national gift during the third “Reading China: International Conference” culture session

The Innocent Heart of a Child and the State of Buddhi
Chen Jinqing’s Philosophy of Life
Chen Jinqing was born in Fujian in 1982. Graduated from the Sculpture Department of Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts in 2002, he works as a contemporary sculptor with a strong social perception and independent insights. His works are in private and public collections including the Governor’s Museum in Malacca and Malaysia-China Friendship Museum of Art. Chen’s sculptures embody his affectionate love and philosophy of life, taking us away from the mundane world and back to our inner selves. He has devoted his sincere heart and child-like crystal-clear spirit to the works, bringing out the pure sensory experience of the audience.
In this work, Buddhi Series, a little novice is meditating with his eyes closed. Dressed in a linen robe, he sits on a big stone, with which his body seems integrated. The brown robe appears like the trunk of a bodhi tree, and on his smooth head bears the fruit of wisdom. The rough surface of the stone and robe has not been polished by the furnace of the world, carrying the traces of a life unadorned, as his unstained body and mind where lies the sincerity and purity of nature. Buddhi, originally as the transliteration of the word “Bodhi,” refers to the process of cultivating mind and gaining consciousness. In this work, Buddhi is the reflection on the self and the questioning of original aspiration. Through the image of a child, the artist brings us back to a clear state of mind. As the viewers, we can roam between the heaven and the earth with the little novice, regaining clear perception and utter innocence.

Price estimate:
HKD: 100,000 - 200,000
USD: 12,800 - 25,600

Auction Result:
HKD: 118,000