British Collector Buys Artist R. Lloyd Ming's Crucifix Sculpture Made of Cut Louis Vuitton Bags

Contemporary artist R. Lloyd Ming sells a version of his Crucifix sculpture made from thousands of dollars worth of brand new Louis Vuitton handbags which he cut in half.

New York, NY (PRWEB) April 30, 2009 -- In his spacious upper west side duplex art studio, R. Lloyd Ming relaxes on a large white L-shaped sofa while observing his assistants carefully crating up one of his Crucifix wall sculptures to send to the Tokyo penthouse of a wealthy British collector. Ming glances at his Breitling watch and mentions to his assistants that FedEx will be here any minute to pick it up. The Crucifix is made from thousands of dollars worth of cut up Louis Vuitton handbags and is meant to be a commentary on the idea of salvation through materialism. "It is inspired by the new wealth in China," says Ming. "But it can also refer to America or any consumer-driven society."

How much did the collector buy the sculpture for? "It wasn't cheap," says Ming. "But it should have been more. The buyer got a good deal; however with this economy all buyers of contemporary art are getting good deals right now. I guess I should feel fortunate that I sold anything at all because many artists are not selling." Although Ming is selling he believes that artists make better work when they don't focus on sales and he thinks the slow economy will inspire good ideas in all artists.

R. Lloyd Ming's current solo art show is called 'I Am Not Chinese'. The focus of the exhibit is China and what Ming calls the tenuous relationship between China and America. His art works address many controversial Chinese issues including censorship and capitalism under communist rule, trade imbalance, human rights, pollution, Tibet-China conflict, America borrowing money from China, potential US-China war and the deliberate devaluation of the Chinese Yuan. The show runs from March 3, 2009 to May 3, 2009 at Studio C. - 55 West 74th Street - New York NY, 10023. The show is by appointment; Telephone: (212)362.3093

For more info log on to: http://www.RLloydMing.com

Photo Download:
http://www.rlloydming.com/Crucifix-by-R_Lloyd_Ming.jpeg

CONTACT: Jeff Martin or Lisa Zeng both of R. Lloyd Ming, Tel: (212) 362-3093

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