LI CHEN (Chinese, B. 1963)

As a child, Li Chen loved to watch egrets frolicking freely in the fields. But with rapid industrialization and worsening environmental pollution, chances of sighting these birds diminished over time. In The Egret (Lot 130), a man, representing humanity, is smiling contentedly as he embraces the egret tightly. The sculpture reflects what the artist cannot achieve in reality and expresses something close to his heart - the protection and care of the environment, so that ultimately man may coexist with nature in perfect harmony.