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Lindy Lee's Major Survey 'Moon in a Dew Drop' Opens at Museum of Contemporary Art Sydney

exhibition · 2026-04-20

The Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney showcases 'Moon in a Dew Drop,' an exhibition highlighting Lindy Lee's 35-year artistic journey, featuring over 70 pieces created from the 1980s to the present, on display until 28 February. Born in 1954, Lee is an Australian-Chinese artist who experienced the era of the White Australia policy. Her early creations, such as 'Untitled (After Jan van Eyck)' (1985), illustrate her cultural disconnection from Western art. A fellowship from Asialink in 1993 introduced her to 'flung ink' painting, seen in 'No Up, No Down, I Am the Ten Thousand Things.' Influenced by Zen Buddhism, her recent works include 'Moonlight Deities' (2019–20) and 'Seeds of a new moon' (2019). In February, she will hold a solo exhibition at Sullivan & Strumpf.

Key facts

  • Lindy Lee's survey exhibition 'Moon in a Dew Drop' features over 70 artworks from 1980s to present
  • Exhibition runs at Museum of Contemporary Art Sydney through 28 February
  • Lee was born in 1954 and grew up in Brisbane during White Australia policy era
  • Early works used photocopied portraits by Rembrandt, van Eyck, and Botticelli
  • 1993 Asialink fellowship to Beijing led to adoption of 'flung ink' technique
  • Installation 'No Up, No Down' first shown at Art Gallery of New South Wales in 1995
  • Lee discovered Zen Buddhism in 1993, shifting focus from identity to existence
  • Sculpture 'The Life of Stars' (2018) is six metres tall at Art Gallery of South Australia

Entities

Artists

  • Lindy Lee
  • Rembrandt
  • Jan van Eyck
  • Botticelli
  • El Greco
  • Ad Reinhardt
  • Jason Phu
  • Phuong Ngo

Institutions

  • Museum of Contemporary Art Sydney
  • Art Gallery of New South Wales
  • Sydney College of the Arts
  • Sullivan & Strumpf
  • 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art
  • Art Gallery of South Australia
  • Chelsea School of Art
  • Asialink

Locations

  • Sydney
  • Australia
  • Brisbane
  • Queensland
  • London
  • United Kingdom
  • Beijing
  • China
  • Japan
  • Malaysia
  • Canada
  • New Zealand
  • Byron Bay

Sources