"The Sea" by Candice Raquel Lee

The Sea (edition of 4 in cast-stone
Size (in): 24L x 10W x 9.5"H. $800 CAD including shipping (Also available in limited-edition bronze by request)

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The Sculpture: The Sea is a beautiful goddess, perhaps awakening with a stretch after dreaming the world and all of us.

In her pose and regard she recalls the massive reclining Bodhisattvas and Buddhas of southeast Asian sculpture. Her facial features are those of a woman from India. Thus, she reflects the influence of my Eastern heritage. Her hair flows down her back like a stormy sea and her stretch gives her the profile of a swimmer. In her long flowing hair, which she languorously tosses with her hand, one can see a small figure of a man in a boat, looking up at a massive wave about to crash down on him. In this regard, I take what could be merely a sensual pose and turn it into a statement of awesome natural power.

The Sea is even more beautiful and calming in person with her golden-brown skin and rich blue-black hair. She is available as well upon request as a limited edition custom casting in bronze.

The Story: This work, as the name implies, is a personification of the sea as a woman, unaware of her power. This illustrates the idea that nature is not vindictive or malevolent, just so vast in scope that she is simply unaware. Buddhism teaches us to abandon our sense of self-importance and ego, and my piece is a meditative tool toward that end. It teaches us that we are ultimately infinitesimal though this does not matter. What happens happens.

Traditionally, sailors in the West have referred to the Sea in feminine terms and women have long been identified with natural forces. In the East, much poetry has been written about men drowning in the waves of a woman's hair. Therefore, my work is also a metaphor for love and how one is struck by this emotion as if blasted by a tsunami.

The idea of this sculpture is also partly inspired by Hindu depictions of the god Siva, in whose hair the tiny river goddess Ganga (the Ganges) is restrained. Drawing on this aspect of my cultural background, I present what is essentially a reversal of this male-female dynamic.

E-mail: candice@candiceraquel.com | Phone: 519.853.9037