Treasure Gate / Above All

This series features the centuries-old antique, specifically the doorknockers embellished in the front gates of rich families and gentry households in China’s late imperial period. Although no longer used or produced as a result of urbanization, these antique doorknockers-often made into the image of lion head, a symbol of auspiciousness, authority, and guardianship-are undoubtedly exquisite works of master craftsmen and valuable collectibles. By adding high-tech aero paint and his distinctive totemic creativity to these truly collectible antiques, Lee develops a new concept of Oriental Contemporary Aesthetics-a style characterized by Lee’s infusion of new life into Chinese antiquities, and a style manifesting Lee’s appreciation of, and efforts to glorify and enrich, cultural heritages.