Austin Lee, Joy

UPPER LEVEL

Austin Lee

Created by Austin Lee, a renowned pioneer in incorporating digital technologies in art, “Joy” is an aptly-named sculpture initially made using virtual reality (VR) modeling software.
Blending elements of Pop Art and Surrealism, “Joy” is an effervescent work that masterfully captures an often elusive and indefinable feeling. The near-circular composition — featuring an emoji-like character under an enveloping rainbow — suggests a continuous state of happiness. His up-turned face and arms, together with his parted, outstretched smile convey the character’s complete openness to receiving and sharing joy. With his exclusive focus on the color-splashed rainbow, rather than any rain clouds that may have created it, Lee’s cartoonish persona delivers a fundamental reminder: joy is a choice to be made daily!
Crafted in bronze, the sculpture’s golden glow further adds to its magic — which was originally conceived in a digital space. Working within that realm, unfettered by the limitations of a flat plane, Lee was able to give wings to his imagination. As a next step, the artist used 3D printing techniques to render the digital object in physical form. The end result is pure, unbridled “Joy”, which as Allen Lee puts it, “is intended to evoke a feeling similar to how a smile from a passing stranger can be shared.”