Lot description
Balance signed (lower left and verso) dated 2020 and titled (verso) acrylic 48” x 72 1/2” (122 cm x 184 cm) PROVENANCE Acquired directly from the artist There’s a quiet solemnity in the works of Lao Lianben. To paraphrase Hervé Lancelin in his 2025 critique, while other contemporary artists sought to draw attention through their overflowing canvas, Liao invites his viewers for a retrospective silence. Through his virtually bare canvas, Lao’s works counter that vacuous emptiness through their overflowing emotions. It invites the viewer not to see what it is but to glimpse what is suggested. Lao Lianben’s Balance is one of the artist’s “maximalist” works, by his standards. Playing with differing textures on the four quadrants, Lao breaks this monotony with his iconic ensō. A favorite of Lao, an ensō is simultaneously the simplest yet the most complex shape to create. The sweeping motion leaves little room for experimentation, and yet one is not allowed a second chance. Instead, one must fully submerge oneself in the creation of the circle. They should let their mind be free, allowing their body to move simply as the mind dictates. The main essence of the ensō is not perfection but intuition, guided through purposeful meditation. Lao’s textured masterpiece creates a three-dimensional aspect that enhances the introspection his works often evoke. To have a Lao work is to dwell in deliberate stillness. Balance, despite its intentionally added details, is just as still as the rest of Lao’s oeuvre. “To see” is a core tenet of a Lao piece, and Balance perfectly encapsulates that. To see is to look at the world with no preconceived notions, with no ulterior motives. Through it, one must take an earnest step toward unbridled contemplation, with Zen Buddhism’s teachings of austere living and simple life. (Hannah Valiente)
