Li Dezhuang

Li Dezhuang (FCILT), Winner of the 64th Chinese Literature and Art Medal (Taiwan)

Since the 70s, Li has been creating art for half a century in three different social and living backgrounds in Singapore, China and New York. Li rose rapidly to prominence in Singapore in the early eighties. He has won numerous awards. By the end of the eighties, Lee had the rare opportunity to exhibit his paintings in mainstream galleries in Manhattan, New York, United States.

At the end of the century, Lee created a huge modern Abstract Expressionist ink and colour painting, “The Red Banner “, which summarised an important stage of his creative work influenced by the New York School of Art, the Abstract Expressionism.

At the beginning of this century, Li Dezhuang arrived in Shanghai from New York. He accepted the invitation of village chief Liu Gang, and stationed in Pudong Artists’ Village, and subsequently established a large-scale art studio in Linhai, Zhejiang. After living in China for ten years, Li was exposed to the profound Chinese civilisation and culture. Finally, he was inspired by the study of Chinese characters in Chinese civilisation, to obtain creative inspiration and selected the three most representative Chinese characters of Chinese civilisation, 井，山，田 (well, mountain, farmland) as the soul, and combined the three geometric figures in modern civilisation – circle, square and triangle – as the form, creating the “Jing Shan Tian / Well M Farmland” series of works.

In this way, Li Dezhuang finally succeeded in developing his artistic creation from modern abstract expressionism to the contemporary new ink art. In addition, Li Dezhuang also crossed disciplines to become a columnist and poet, as well as a producer and director to organise and film “Jing Shan Tian/ Well M Farmland” into an art film “Till The Reeds Turn White”. He also produced the movie theme song, written, composed and vocalised by himself.