Billy Lee

Description

Like so many of his pieces Big Head alludes to the figurative but aesthetically this is conveyed in simple and abstract terms, "The syntax the sculpture employs may still be essentially Minimalist, but Lee has infused it with a subtle, anthropomorphic presence" Trevor Richardson, Sculpture Magazine.

The attitude of Big Head is humorous in some respects; the large boots and attenuated body set against this serious Trojan head, yet we are also immediately convinced of the serious and critical thought that has gone into this beautiful piece of modern statuary.

Lee often creates series of works, alliterative markers of human experience, set mostly in natural outdoor settings, their scale more often than not monumental, and Big Head is no exception. Through the fragmentation of geometric and anthropomorphic forms, and the fusing together of them in new configurations we delight in Lee's ingenuity. What are often only subtle differences create a bold impression. Through an economy of from, Big Head like many of Lees sculptures, uses universally recognisable forms and shapes, but in configurations that result in something entirely new being achieved.

We instantly enjoy these forms because we recognise them, but on reflection the true complexity of his work is revealed. That Lee manages to eclipse these two opposing agendas is astounding.