Seulgi Lee at Gallery Hyundai

About

Applying new meaning to banal objects such as blankets and baskets, Lee explores universal human experiences such as dreams, oral histories and proverbs, and the linearity of history and language. 

Occupying both floors of the gallery, works on view include Lee’s playful blankets which translate oral histories into textile works. Fabricated by craftsmen from Tongyeong who practice traditional Korean hand-quilting technique Nubi (long lines of stitches cover the cloth), geometric patterns in bright multi-colors are abstracted representations of Korean proverbs. Titles of Lee’s blanket series are derived from these Korean proverbs which speak of righteousness, faith, covenant and betrayal, and acting as visual riddles, the works are designed to navigate the borderline between reality and dreams. This portrayal of borderline continues in a way to reveal humor which orally carried proverbs carry within through perfectly realized formativeness and neat forms by the craftsmen.

Included in the exhibition are a series of sculptural installations composed of anthropomorphic baskets set on metal rods. The works derive from a trip the artist made to the state of Oaxaca in Mexico to explore oral culture.  Lee observed a community of artisanal female basket-makers based in Santa Maria Ixcátlan, called Xula, who weave using palm fronds. The works also derive meaning from the act of their production and the artist has continued to explore basket-weaving methods from around the world.

Seulgi Lee (b. 1972, Seoul, Korea) is a Korean artist who has lived and worked in Paris since 1992. Having studied art in Korea, Lee went on to graduate from École des Beaux Arts, Paris, where she was introduced to sculpture and decorative and craft art, and Chicago School of Art, where she studied performance, film, video-art and visual anthropology; the influence of which may be seen in her current practice.

Lee’s work has been shown internationally, including in recent shows at galleries and intuitions such as: Jousse Entreprise, Paris, France (2017); Asia Culture Center, Gwangju, Korea (2017); Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France (2017); Biennale Internationale Design, Saint-Etienne, France (2017); Galerie TripleV, Paris, France (2016); Florence Loewy, Paris, France (2016); Musée des Arts Decoratifs de Paris, Paris, France (2015); Corner Art Space, Seoul, Korea (2015); Gwangju Biennale 10, Gwangju, Korea (2015).  The artist recently collaborated with Hermès on limited-edition cashmere quilts and with Ikea (alongside Virgil Abloh and other creatives) for a new range of Art Rugs available from Spring 2019.

EXHIBITION TITLE: Seulgi Lee

DATES: 15 November – 23 December 2018

ADDRESS: Gallery Hyundai, 14 Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Korea 110-190

TELEPHONE: +82 2-2287-3500

EMAIL: mail@galleryhyundai.com