Sky Rock, 2024

Sky Rock references gongshi (Scholar's Rocks) which are naturally occurring rocks traditionally appreciated in Chinese culture. Georgina Yen Qin Lee reinterprets this cultural practice through sculpture, inspired by the stories of Chinese poets and watercolour painters who wrote about gongshi and painted them with reverence.

Sky Rock is a contemplative work with a complex sculptural form that reflects a new silhouette from every angle.  A soft blue glaze runs over the form akin to a waterfall, dripping and pooling to create a surface that varies from softly textured to smooth and glossy.

Georgina Yen Qin Lee combines wheel thrown, hand-manipulated forms with complex surface treatments, addressing themes of cultural shame and reverence whilst making sense of the ‘third cultural space’ in which she occupies, as an Asian woman in Australia.