Dragon-Riding Bodhisattva

Li Chen is one of the leading figures in contemporary Chinese sculpture, and his works have been shown at major international exhibitions and venues. Born in Yunlin, Taiwan, in 1963, he is renowned for his signature “ink-black sculpture” style, which brings together Eastern philosophical thought and contemporary sculptural language to create a visual language that balances physical weight with a remarkable sense of lightness.

As an extension of Li Chen's 1999 Avalokitesvara, Dragon-Riding Bodhisattva reflects the artist's exploration of transforming traditional imagery into a contemporary sculptural language. Drawing on the folk legend of Guanyin riding a dragon, the work unites the Bodhisattva and the dragon in a single composition that conveys stability, movement, and spiritual tension.

Standing calmly upon the dragon's back, the Bodhisattva holds a vase and forms a mudra. Li Chen simplifies the elaborate drapery and iconographic details of traditional Buddhist sculpture, using rounded forms and a restrained, gentle expression to evoke a spiritual realm marked by harmony, compassion, and ease. Below, the dragon suggests the form of an ancient Chinese bronze vessel: solid, forceful, and charged with energy. With its raised head and four legs set upon a dragon pearl, lotus pedestal, auspicious clouds, and celestial fire, it heightens the work's mythic imagery and visual power.

Since its creation, Dragon-Riding Bodhisattva has been shown in a number of major exhibitions, including “Li Chen: Energy of Emptiness” at the 52^nd Venice Biennale in 2007, “Li Chen: In Search of Spiritual Space” at the  National Art Museum of China in 2008, “Li Chen: Mind –  Body –  Spirit” at the Singapore Art Museum in 2009, “Greatness of Spirit: Li Chen's Premiere Large-Scale Sculpture Exhibition in Taiwan” in Taipei in 2011, and “Li Chen's Large-scale Sculpture Exhibition” at Place Vendôme, Paris, in 2013.

Cast in an edition of six, the present work is number four, underscoring its rarity. The sculpture was installed in the early hours of 20 March 2026, which in the lunar calendar was the second day of the second month, Longtaitou (“Dragon Head Raising Day”).

Special thanks to Dr Peter Lee Kwok-wah, Chairman of the HKMU Foundation Advisory Committee and Member of the Court, for the generous loan of Dragon-Riding Bodhisattva for display at Hong Kong Metropolitan University.