 The Book Garden Art Installation in the gallery of the San Antonio Central Library includes distinctive faces sculpted by Taiwanese-born artist Longbin Chen. While the busts of iconic Renaissance men appear to be carved from stone, they are built from magazines and catalogs. What is on the inside is as important as the face on the surface. Two of the busts have faces made of book titles. Longbin Chen said he did that to show how a person's character relates to their education and what kind of book one has read. When we have meaningful conversations with each other, said Longbin Chen, we can go deeper than the face to relate to the knowledge and culture that is on the inside. Look behind Renaissance men and you will see copies of The Big Issue, a street magazine written by journalists and sold by homeless individuals. This one was when I was beginning to cut Renaissance men and I found the one kind magazine called Big Magazine actually was for homeless, for homeless to to sew on the street and get some support. The public company in New Year's office they closed and the office very close to my studio and they throw away about thousand copies on the street. Then I bring back to my studio and then beginning to think about how to use this material because the very high quality, big size catalog, all the book I can put inside Renaissance men. So it's a good idea. So I choose using this to make a Renaissance. And I beginning to use the Renaissance men was in almost 10 years ago when I first time go to Roma to do residency and then I find the western sculpture, the best sculpture was from the great and Rome, especially whole Rome, whole city looks like a museum. So since 10 years ago I began focusing on the icon so I can begin to, before I come I make a lot of Buddha. So if you check my website you will find out a lot of Buddha head and Buddha was my cultural base. My society most people was building Buddha and using the phone book to make Buddha was making a lot of sense. Then 10 years ago I changed into to make a different icon. Renaissance men was one of the big subject and also my technique was improved a lot so I can make an icon. So he is and he is a Renaissance man and he is a Renaissance man. Yeah it's a Renaissance man then then you will see two two two bus with a only book title on the face. The first was use the English book and then you will see the computer today more and different time English book. So yeah it's similar like for people when we talk very deep then we feeling that the people the character was related to their education. What kind of book the person was reading. So more and more we we was interested in the inside of the people what kind, knowledge, what kind of thinking. So not only the shape only the the face so so I just make a flag and so if everyone is it how we identify each one it's not only from from the face from the race or from from the culture. So here you can see if you you understand Chinese character some famous Chinese book and one with two was China can say no. The book China that can say no a 1996 non-fiction bestseller is subtitled political and emotional choices in the post Cold War era. The book supports Chinese nationalism and is critical of US foreign policy toward China and Taiwan. At the same time all of the authors are critics of the Chinese government. Two participated in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 and another was jailed for his pro-democracy activities. Through the busts faced with book titles and Renaissance men built from magazines the artist demonstrates how books can be transformed into artwork and libraries transformed to museum. As Longbin Chen said medium transforms the subject and becomes the message.