Initiator

Initiator

2004
Artist
Lin Tianmiao, Chinese, 1961
Born: Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
Work Locations: Beijing, China
Country
China
Object
sculpture
Medium
Fiberglass and silk
Accession Number
2010.472A-B
Credit Line
Gift from Vicki and Kent Logan to the Collection of the Denver Art Museum

Lin Tianmiao 
Initiator, 2004
Fiberglass and silk
Gift from Vicki and Kent Logan to the Collection of the Denver Art Museum, 2010.472A-B
© Lin Tianmiao 

Dimensions
height: 66 1/4 in, 168.2750 cm; width: 39 1/4 in, 99.6950 cm; depth: 48 in, 121.9200 cm; height: 66 1/4 in, 168.2750 cm; width: 39 1/4 in, 99.6950 cm; depth: 12 in, 30.4800 cm; height: 20 in, 50.8000 cm; width: 19 in, 48.2600 cm; depth: 19 in, 48.2600 cm
Department
Modern and Contemporary Art
Collection
Modern and Contemporary Art

Working in a wide range of media from performance and handmade paper to photo-installation, Lin Tianmiao explores issues surrounding identity, contemporary Chinese culture and feminism today.  Initiator is a two-part fiberglass sculpture of a nude woman and a large frog; both figures are connected by a delicate veil of silk thread. It has been suggested that Initiator may reference Chinese symbolism or even the western fairy tale of the frog prince. Thread and silk are common motifs in the artist’s work which may also reference the Chinese tradition of sewing and embroidery.  

Lin graduated from the Capital Normal University, Beijing, China, in 1984 and later studied at the Art Students league, New York.

© Lin Tianmiao 

Exhibition History
  • "Material World"—Denver Art Museum [05/19-/2013 - 01/04/2015]
  • “Stampede: Animals in Art” — Denver Art Museum, 9/10/2017