Lindy Lee

In the Australian summer of 2020 – 2021, Lindy Lee’s most comprehensive survey exhibition was held at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA). Curated by MCA Director Elizabeth Ann Macgregor OBE, the exhibition “Lindy Lee: Moon in a Dew Drop” presented over 70 of Lee’s artworks from the 1980s to the present day.

Secret World of a Starlight Ember was created specifically for the exhibition and was sited over-looking Sydney Harbour on the MCA’s forecourt. The shimmering, polished stainless-steel sculpture spans 5m wide and is articulated by thousands of meticulously placed perforations that represent the marvels of a spiralling cosmos. By day, the sculpture absorbs and reflects its surrounding environment; by night the artwork illuminates to create its own burning constellation.

This incredible artwork was made in UAP’s Shanghai workshop at the beginning of the pandemic. Due to travel restrictions, UAP’s team developed a new method of working which allowed Lee to apply her pattern without visiting the Shanghai workshop, as per her normal process. Lee was provided with a maquette to which she applied her constellational pattern. UAP’s Australian team 3D scanned the maquette and processed the file, which was printed on vinyl in Shanghai and applied to the artwork’s shell, guiding our fabricators to apply the perforations per Lee’s intent.