GALLERY SHOW OIL PAINTING PHOTOGRAPHY PERFORMANCE
Young Korean artist Rim Lee’s first solo exhibition, “Retrospective”, recently opened at Kasia Kay Art Projects gallery in Chicago. The show includes surrealist works that combine performance with painting and photography. It will run from 1-31 March 2012.

Rim Lee, 'The Mess of Emotions no. 12', 2010-2011, oil on canvas. Image courtesy of Kasia Kay Art Projects gallery.
“Retrospective” included pieces from Lee’s recent photography series, “Beyond Max Ernst (penis envy)”. The works are a tribute to the titular surrealist artist, in which she internalises and embodies Ernst’s aesthetic practice in pursuit of “the innateness of human emotions”. To create the enigmatic images, Lee utilises a variety of artistic media, such as collage, photographic reproduction, 3-D models, realist painting and performance. The exhibition includes several of the artist’s self-portraits. These large oil paintings also originate in artistic performances, drawn from photographs of the artist or a model covered in black and white paint.

Rim Lee, 'Beyond Max Ernst (penis envy) No. 6', 2010, archival pigment print. Image courtesy of Kasia Kay Art Projects gallery.

Rim Lee, 'Beyond Max Ernst (penis envy) No. 7', 2010, archival pigment print. Image courtesy of Kasia Kay Art Projects gallery.

Rim Lee, 'Beyond Max Ernst (penis envy) No. 8', 2010, archival pigment print. Image courtesy of Kasia Kay Art Projects gallery.
Even though we, as unique individuals, live in a different environment, at a point of time we feel the same when we look at an object. When I am having a conversation with my family and friends, I feel that we are of a same mind.
Rim Lee, from her artist statement
Rim Lee (b. 1982) is a contemporary artist from Seoul, South Korea. Since 2009 she has exhibited with Korean Eye, an organisation founded by David Ciclitira to promote Korean contemporary art to an international audience. Lee participated in “Korean Eye: Moon Generation” and “Korean Eye: Fantastic Ordinary” at the Saatchi Gallery in London, as well as Korean Eye’s 2011-2012 exhibition at the Museum of Art and Design in New York City. In 2010, Lee was nominated for the Perrier-Jouët Award. She is represented by Kasia Kay Art Projects gallery in Chicago, USA.
PR/HH
Related Topics: Korean artists, art and the human body, art in the USA
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