{"status":true,"msg":{"data":{"id":56477,"auction_id":110,"set_id":144,"lot_number":"51","artist":"Lao Lianben (b. 1948)","title":"Soot","starting_price":3000000,"signed_dated":"signed (lower left and verso)\ndated 2009","medium":"acrylic on canvas","size":"48\" x 48\" (122 cm x 122 cm)","property":null,"coa":null,"provenance":":\nAcquired directly from the artist","exhibited":null,"literature":null,"write_up":"Lao Lianben’s Soot is a perfect illustration of the artist’s abstractions. Both stark and sincere, the pitch-black soot stands out against the pure white background. Like many of his works, Soot veers towards the monochromatic and revels in quietude. “[Where] so many contemporary artists agitate to attract attention, Lao Lianben invites us to silence,” wrote Hervé Lancelin in his 2025 ArtCritic review Lao Lianben and the Poetics of Obscurity. Indeed, one of Lao’s defining characteristics is his silence; however, that does not mean his canvases are empty. Truly, Soot may visually and literally be sparse but it overflows with symbolism. The stark contrast of black and white without the usage of transition colors emphasizes the opposing hues, creating a conversation starter.<br /><br /> Like many of his works, Soot features the ever-present tension between the visible and the invisible, the shown and the suggested. He reveals a profound understanding of Oriental philosophy and Zen Buddhism, which results in such a stunningly minimalist oeuvre. Though he does not practice Buddhism, Lao admits he is intrigued and fascinated by its principles, practices, and mysticism.<br /><br /> “I just choose to paint and continue to be conversant with the recurring themes that are associated with my personal history and ongoing narrative,” he said in a 2023 Lifestyle Inquirer interview. Indeed, his oeuvre is presented with a mark unique to Lao; not unlike an alchemist, he imbues his works with his personal touch, making his works like living skins, breathing, sweating, and telling their story. (Hannah Valiente)","lot_group":"PAINTING","lot_details_html":null,"alias":null,"hp":4600000,"bp":0.2016,"isWithdrawn":0,"accounting_hp":4600000,"userBid":12019,"isPaid":0,"userId":22,"lot_status":"SOLD","isDone":1,"bid_history_id":null,"reserve_price":null,"hammer_price":5527360,"fav":0},"image":[{"id":60259,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/110/144/lot/51.jpg","isFeatured":1},{"id":60666,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/110/144/lot/51b.jpg","isFeatured":0},{"id":60663,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/110/144/lot/51a.jpg","isFeatured":0}]},"increment":[2200000,2400000,2600000,2800000,3000000,3200000,3400000,3600000,3800000,4000000,4200000,4400000,4600000,4800000,5000000,5500000,6000000,6500000,7000000,7500000,8000000,8500000,9000000,9500000,10000000,11000000,12000000,13000000,14000000,15000000,16000000,17000000,18000000,19000000,20000000],"prev":50,"next":52,"count_bid":0,"bid_history":[],"tokenExpired":1}