long-bin chen: recycled book sculptures

long-bin chen: recycled book sculptures
‘culture warrior’ series
image courtesy of the artist / halsey institute of contemporary art

new york-based artist long-bin chen is known for transforming books, newspapers, and magazines into sculptures. using locally printed materials (where he is an artist in residence) as his medium, he carefully carves figures from blocks of soft stacked paper–from warriors, to buddhas, to composers. at first glance, the highly-realistic three-dimensional works appear to be made from stone, but upon closer inspection, the viewer realizes the humble material which he has employed. chen’s commentary on social change seeks to connect ideas from the east, where he was born, with those of the west, where he resides. his creative practice at current sees him realizing large-scale buddha heads shaped from piles of telephone books, japanese warrior figures, and influential people from other cultures. an installation of chen’s art is on view at the halsey institute of contemporary art in charleston, south carolina until july 6th, 2013, in which he aims to encourage communication about consumption, waste, and the pre-digital era of bound books.

chen’s figure heads carved from the telephone books contain the names and numbers of millions of people
image courtesy of the artist / halsey institute of contemporary art

detail of the way the artist composes the books for one of his busts
image courtesy of the artist / halsey institute of contemporary art

mount rushmore national memorial made from phone books
image courtesy of the artist

segments of a book sculpture from the ‘world buddha’ series by long-bin chen
image courtesy of the artist / halsey institute of contemporary art

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