COSMOS: Currencies OfferingS Move Over Sky - lee wen 李文

COSMOS: Currencies OfferingS Move Over Sky

2013
Dried leaves and lanterns
Dimensions: Variable
Collection of the Artist
Singapore Biennale 2013 Commission

There are several layers of possibilities that a visitor can engage with before witnessing the composition of this artwork. Lee evokes the spirit of gotong royong (Malay for "community voluntarism") and revisits the oral storytelling tradition, a medium for news and knowledge transfer in many Southeast Asian cultures. The artwork is made with dried leaves, along with other biodegradable materials – signifiers of our obsession with development and economic progress, and the high price we have paid for it. The final sculpture and performance of this work is intended to mimic the release of traditional lanterns typical of Thai festivities. COSMOS is also Lee's homage to the K Foundation's performance of burning £1 million in cash in 1994.