Photo: Remi Villaggi. Courtesy: Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean, Luxembourg.
Lee Bul
Lehmann Maupin Gallery
201 Chrystie St, NY, NY 10002
May 2 – June 21, 2014
Korean artist Lee Bul will present a new exhibition featuring sculptural works and a large-scale installation with the Lehmann Maupin Gallery at an opening reception on Friday, May 2nd from 6 to 8 PM. This is the artist’s fourth exhibition at the gallery on 201 Chrystie Street, where the show can be viewed from May 2 through June 21, 2014.
The artist’s practice of employing formal, architectural and theoretical concepts continues with her latest exhibition, inviting the viewer to reassess humanity’s vision of a perfect future. Lee’s work investigates idealized conceptions of the human form, delving into issues of beauty, corruption, decay and humanity’s desire to transcend physical, intellectual and spiritual boundaries. Lee’s focus on the pursuit of the ideal—whether in the body, in society, or in humanity’s search for the true essence of divine nature—is a hallmark of her artistic practice. Through explorations of human/machine dichotomy, ideas of utopia embodied in architecture, and the perceptual and cognitive boundaries of consciousness, Lee’s works seek to delineate the limits of the human body and mind, and the fallibility of the quest for perfection.
Lee Bul (b. 1964, Korea) grew up in Seoul and received a BFA in sculpture from Hongik University. Considered one of the leading Korean artists of her generation, she has achieved international recognition for her formally inventive, intellectually provocative work. Demonstrating virtuosity across diverse media—from drawing and performance to sculpture, painting, installation and video—her multifaceted production is representative of the most innovative aesthetic currents shaping contemporary art in the global sphere.
Lee Bul’s work has been featured in solo presentations at museums throughout the world, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York (1997); Kunsthalle Bern, Switzerland (1999); Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia (2001); MAC, Musée d’Art Contemporain, Marseille (2002); the New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York (2002); Le Consortium, Dijon (2002); Japan Foundation, Tokyo (2003); The Power Plant, Toronto (2003); Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney (2004); Domus Artium, Salamanca (2007); Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris (2007–08); Mori Art Museum, Tokyo (2012); and most recently MUDAM, Luxembourg (2013-14). The artist currently lives and works in Seoul, Korea.
