Hyunmee Lee “Abstract Alchemy”
Cheryl Hazan Gallery
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The beauty of Hyunmee Lee’s work, its simplicity, its power, has a very potent alchemy indeed. An “Abstract Alchemy,” partly rooted in the process of transmuting the common substance of paint into a substance of great value – that of her superb recent paintings; partly in the incorporation of symbols in the form of mark making and Eastern calligraphy into her oppositional gestural work. There is a new awareness of Korean shamanism, the strength of a self in quietness, a deeply meditative ritual that brings an awakening of magical, shamanistic power.
At once ancient and modern, Lee’s paintings are glimpses of Zen. So lovely is her ability to convey harmony on canvas it seems effortless – there are no signs of struggle or forced effect. It has been said that what results is poetry. She recently has added colors, shapes and rhythms to her work that arise from the birds and mountains surrounding her remote studio, but says she still seeks to present “opposite forces” in her work: determination and spontaneity; boldness and shyness; emptiness and fullness; completion and processing.
Lee says: “My art contains bold shapes that merge meditation and gesture. Objectivity, intentness on objects, is also very important; it relates to the elements of space and time. Scale is important, as is layering and calligraphic marking. It is all part of the poetic basis of my artwork.”
Born in Seoul, South Korea, Hyunmee Lee grew up practicing Western Modern art with experience in Eastern painting and calligraphy. Her art discipline crosses three continents over two decades.
In 1985, Lee graduated Hongik University having majored in painting. She lived in Australia, achieved two post-graduate degrees at the University of Sydney, then returned to Korea, taught at Hongik University and exhibited in major art galleries and art fairs in Seoul. She moved to the United States in 1997, taught and continued to explore her art. After receiving tenure at Utah Valley University, Lee retired from teaching in 2009 to travel and concentrate more fully on her artwork. This year she was awarded an important Fellowship for Visual Arts Excellence by the Utah Division of Arts & Museums.
-Ann Poore
Ann Poore is a writer and editor for 15 Bytes Arts Magazine. She spent most of her career at The Salt Lake Tribune. She also worked for Salt Lake City Weekly and has written for such publications as Utah Business Magazine and Salt Lake Magazine.
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Schedule
from May 13, 2015 to June 13, 2015