Artist Statement for Joyful Ones Sculptures

"Embrace joy before the opportunity passes you."

                    -Nathan Lee

My current body work is about finding joy in the middle of chaos. It is about paths traveled and like my Taoist beliefs, it is not about the destination of the journey. To be able to laugh in the middle of a storm is complete freedom and that is what my work represents. It is about being resilient and defiant to despair. In my work, human spirit challenges the sometimes bleak reality of what the world is. It is not the flaws of us I want to explore but the capacity to transcend what is negative and exist in a light that endures. It is the best of what I am that I want to convey.

My works are deceptively monolithic and imposing upon first inspection but protective and nurturing after one explores the embedded meaning. Aesthetically, I draw on the influences of African, Polynesian, and Asian art. The massive frames of my sculptures are not intended to intimidate, but rather to act as safe places for those who need pillars of strength and support.