Artwork Description

Title: Ice Age Water Moon Avalokitesvara
Artist: Chen Cheng
Date: n.d.
Medium: Installation
Dimensions: 78.7 × 31.5 × 23.6 in (200 × 80 × 60 cm)

1. Artwork Identification
This striking installation by contemporary Chinese artist Chen Cheng, Title:d Ice Age Water Moon Avalokitesvara, presents a monumental seated bodhisattva in high relief, rendered in a pristine white material evocative of ice or snow. The sculpture’s ethereal surface and texture heighten its sacred presence, offering a serene vision of Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva of compassion, encased within a semi-arched frame. Measuring 200 × 80 × 60 cm (78.7 × 31.5 × 23.6 in), the work merges religious iconography with contemporary minimalism, resulting in an installation that is both meditative and monumental.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
Chen Cheng’s aesthetic language draws upon traditional Buddhist sculptural forms while introducing a refined contemporary sensibility through his material choices and scale. The luminous whiteness and glacial surface evoke a feeling of timeless suspension, reminiscent of purity and impermanence—core concepts within Buddhist philosophy. This work’s stylistic purity aligns with post-minimalist installation practices while remaining deeply rooted in East Asian devotional art. The Title:’s reference to the “Ice Age” infuses the sacred form with environmental and temporal metaphor, a theme increasingly present in 21st-century Chinese conceptual art.

3. Historical Context
The Water Moon Avalokitesvara, or Shuiyue Guanyin, is a central figure in Chinese Buddhist iconography dating back to the Song dynasty. Traditionally depicted in contemplative repose beside a moonlit body of water, this manifestation of Avalokitesvara represents mercy and spiritual transcendence. Chen Cheng’s contemporary iteration pays homage to this iconographic legacy while reframing it in the context of environmental fragility, climate anxiety, and contemporary reinterpretations of ancient wisdom. Emerging in the late 20th century, Chen’s practice echoes the post-Cultural Revolution return to spirituality and historical reflection in Chinese art.

4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

5. Condition and Conservation
The artwork is in very good condition, with no visible structural instability or surface loss. The texture and reflective qualities of the medium are well preserved. No conservation interventions are currently required.

6. Artistic Significance
Ice Age Water Moon Avalokitesvara exemplifies Chen Cheng’s fusion of cultural memory and modern form. Through this contemplative installation, the artist invites a dialogue between the sacred past and the precarious present, emphasizing the enduring relevance of compassion and stillness in an age of rapid change. The work holds significant value as a contemporary interpretation of Buddhist iconography, contributing meaningfully to both installation art and spiritual discourse within East Asian contemporary practice.