Il Lee “Small Drawings and Prints”

Art Projects International

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Art Projects International presents IL LEE: Small Drawings and Prints. Comprised of selected small ballpoint pen drawings created from 2000 to 2019, this exhibition is the largest survey of Il Lee’s small drawings in recent years and viewers are treated to a fascinating glimpse into Lee’s vast array of singular approaches. Presented alongside Lee’s small drawings are several paintings, including a new large-scale oil on acrylic on canvas making its public debut. Also on view is a set of three newly released limited-edition etching prints highlighting the significance of the etching process to his artistic practice.

A constant in Il Lee’s well-known ballpoint pen work of the last 40 years has been the creation of small drawings. Concurrent with his continuing development of large format works on paper and works on canvas, Il Lee has continually experimented in countless smaller drawings. Highlighting the criticality of working on paper to Lee’s practice, the San Jose Museum of Art (SJMA) featured a special installation of a wall densely hung with 86 small drawings from Lee’s studio as part of his critically-acclaimed and extremely popular retrospective at SJMA in 2007 (photo above). “By restricting his materials to ballpoint pen on paper and focusing on process, Lee explores the profound in the simplest of materials” said curator JoAnne Northrup.