Earth

1981 / Mixed media / 142.24 x 121.92 cm / Artist: Lao Lianben / Private collection

Lao has been using indigenous materials since the mid-1970s, combining these with contrasting elements of modern technology, such as plexiglass and nylon strings. Although the basis of his art is materiality and its construction, Lao never allows the least self-consciousness nor fetishism for materials get in the way of spiritual essence, his visionary concern.

In Earth, a thick sheet of marine plywood was painted with layers of white, dark brown, and black. Certain areas were then scratched, chiseled, and sandpapered to create a composition of the most sensitive nuances of texture, tints, and shades. A sheet of plexiglass etched with gridwork was installed over a translucent circle. A tree branch was tied up with nylon strings over an area of rough texture.

Economy of means, purity of materials, stark contrasts of black and white and of crudeness and finesse build up the powerful poetry of Lao’s visual meditations.